Ending the Cycle of Abuse in Battered Women Defenses

Intimate partner violence (IPV) is a public health concern, and multiple types of IPV have been described. Women, like men, have various motives for committing intimate partner homicide. This issue of The Journal includes an article reviewing the use of a Battered Woman Syndrome (BWS) defense in American courts. The time was right for a BWS defense a generation ago when there was a lack of understanding of the reasonableness of a woman's action, but not at present. We review the inherent problems of having a gendered law, looking to infanticide acts, as examples. We discuss the validity of BWS considering the DSM and the ICD-10. We explore the role of a forensic psychiatrist in these evaluations, particularly given the lack of a diagnostic, scientific basis for BWS, and consider the similarities with sexually violent predator hearings. In conclusion, we outline considerations for forensic psychiatrists when conducting these examinations. This includes awareness of potential gender bias, recognizing clinical and scientific challenges in the legal diagnosis of BWS, and consideration of the role of posttraumatic stress disorder.