The author compares technological and man made disasters on the exampl
es of the Chernobyl catastrophy and war in Bosnia. He introduces some
details related to better understanding the coherence of both cases. W
hat concerns the war in Bosnia, he issues from seven working stays wit
h children affected by posttraumatic stress disorder. The article call
s attention to long-term and persisting effects of breakdowns and wars
on the mental life of humans. The breakdown in Chernobyl resulted in
increased ''avoidance'', war in Bosnia brought forth ''avoidance'' as
well as ''intrusion'' reactions.