Battered Women Syndrome

available at http://www.tower.com/battered-woman-syndrome-as-legal-defense-history-effectiveness-brenda-l-russell-paperback/wapi/116119204 copyrighted 2010

About twenty or more years ago a doctor Dr. Lenore E. Walker discovered a type of syndrome, known as Battered Woman Syndrome. In his recent studies he has found out that the syndrome is associated with post-traumatic stress disorder. Post-traumatic stress disorder is a type of anxiety disorder. It can occur after you’ve seen or experienced a traumatic event that involved the threat of injury or death. Therefore from this disorder comes Battered woman Syndrome.

Most people think this disorder is only for women because of the name. However this is untrue. It’s very common with men. This syndrome is also referred to as the Battered Person Syndrome. Since men do not usually come out when they are being abused Battered Man Syndrome is almost unheard of and very uncommon.

They’re several reasons why women and men develop this syndrome. Reasons such as the ones I will list below.  

• still being positively reinforced by the "honeymoon" phase of the battering cycle
• economic dependence upon the batterer
• belief that they can keep the peace
• fear of danger if she were to leave
• threats made by the batterer to hurt her or her children if she left
• loss of self-esteem
• depression or loss of psychological energy necessary to leave

According to Walker The Battered Woman Syndrome, “This syndrome has been used an as an explanation for reactions to abusive situations in court cases but has also been used as an educational tool in order to raise the awareness of the impact that domestic violence can have on women.”

What this is saying that in some situations when the victim lashes out and harms their abuser it’s caused from the syndrome. For example a woman’s charges were dropped from killing her husband because the doctors diagnosed her with Battered Women Syndrome.

Available at http://www.heart-2-heart.ca/men/page4.htm copyrighted 2003