I thought this important enough to repost:
"Joe Wheeler Dixon, PhD, JD
Battered woman syndrome (BWS) was first proposed in the 1970's and was based solely upon the
clinical observations of a single clinician, Dr. Lenore Walker. After she coined the term and published her hypotheses the concept quickly caught on.
BWS became a popular way to justify criminal conduct of women who were charged with the murder of their husband. However, while the idea initially enjoyed success in some clinical circles and several legal jurisdictions, BWS
was never empirically validated through scientific research as a bona fide condition, and therefore it has not enjoyed widespread support by psychologists who practice clinical and forensic psychology. For those women who are indeed chronically battered, they may more reliably and more correctly be diagnosed with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD).
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to date
there is insufficient empirical evidence to show that BWS per se meets the rigorous diagnostic criteria of psychology or psychiatry for a mental disorder. For instance, there is no reliable means to differentiate those women who merely claim a history of battering from those who have actually been battered.
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Doctors typically rely upon the patient's first party self-report when diagnosing clinical conditions. In the case of BWS,
when some women are seeking to avoid criminal responsibility, it is extremely unwise for a doctor to reach what amounts to a legal conclusion of battering based solely upon the presenting complaints and history of one person. "
more:
http://www.psychologyandlaw.com/BWS Essay .htm
