Post-traumatic stress disorder in women: Diagnosis and treatment of battered woman syndrome.

Abstract

Women victims of marital abuse suffer many symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). This article discusses issues of diagnosis, evaluation, interviewing, and treatment as well as legal implications of the battered woman syndrome. Five major areas that have been negatively impacted by the battered woman's coping skills are described: manipulation, dissociation, anger, intimacy, and compliance. Practical ways for handling each of these areas in therapy are discussed.