Battered woman syndrome

Battered woman syndrome (BWS) is a pattern of signs and symptoms displayed by a woman who has suffered persistent intimate partner violence—psychological, physical, or sexual—from her partner (usually male). Although the diagnosis has mainly centered on women, it has occasionally been applied to men when employing the term battered person syndrome, especially as part of a legal defense. It is classified in the ICD-9 (code 995.81) as battered person syndrome, but is not in the DSM-5.

The condition was first researched extensively by Lenore E. Walker, who used Martin Seligman's learned helplessness theory to explain why women stayed in relationships with abusive men. Victims may exhibit a range of behaviors, including self-isolation, suicidal thoughts, and substance abuse, and signs of physical injury or illness, such as bruises, broken bones, or chronic fatigue. It may be diagnosed as a subcategory of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

The condition is the basis for the battered woman legal defense that has been used in cases of physically and psychologically abused women who have killed their male partners. As a legal defense, it may be incorporated in defenses such as self defense-, provocation-, and insanity-based defenses.

The term "battered woman syndrome" has been criticized by some survivor advocates as being outdated terminology not used outside of courts. The newer term used among advocates and outside of the courts is "criminalized survivor".