The Hidden Brain Disease Affecting Domestic Violence Survivors

A serious brain disease usually linked to contact sports has been found in victims of domestic violence in Australia. In 2024, scientists examined the brains of two women who had died after years of violent abuse at home. Both women were found to have chronic traumatic encephalopathy, or CTE — a disease that slowly destroys brain cells. Their cases were the first in Australia to connect this condition to violence from an intimate partner. Now, health groups are working to raise awareness so more survivors can get the help they need.

The two women were in their 30s and 40s when they died. They had both suffered decades of beatings and head injuries caused by their partners. Samantha Schulte, the founder of The Survivor Service, said these cases show that the damage from domestic violence can last long after the abuse stops. She warned that repeated blows to the head can cause lasting brain damage even years after a relationship has ended. 'It really enforces [that] the impacts of domestic and family violence don't end when domestic violence ends,' she said.

CTE is most commonly known as a disease that affects rugby players, boxers, and other athletes who suffer many hits to the head. Because of this, many people who have been abused at home do not realise they could also be at risk. Ms Schulte said more people — both in the community and in health and support services — need to understand that domestic violence survivors can develop CTE too. She said it is important to build wider awareness so survivors know what signs to look for. Without this knowledge, many cases may go unnoticed and untreated.

A group called ConneCTErs Australia supports people and families who may be living with CTE. The organisation's chief executive, Sarah Willey, is worried that domestic violence survivors are being left out of the conversation about this disease. She said victims of long-term physical abuse are very vulnerable, including those who were hurt as children or teenagers. In May, ConneCTErs opened its first office in Townsville, Queensland, in partnership with Dementia Australia. The office works as a base to organise support for people across the whole country.

The federal government gave Dementia Australia $12.5 million to help address CTE. Ms Willey said North Queensland was chosen partly because the region has higher rates of violence than many other parts of Australia. 'We know from the stats the Northern Territory and North Queensland, the northern areas, do have higher rates of violence,' she said. Having a local office means that people in these areas can access help more easily. ConneCTErs hopes the Townsville office will be a model for future support centres around Australia.

Neurologist Dr Craig Costello explained that CTE is a condition that gets worse over time and cannot be cured. 'The term neurodegeneration means brain cell loss,' he said. The disease causes people to lose memory, struggle to concentrate, and have trouble processing information. Some people also experience sudden changes in behaviour, such as becoming very impulsive or quick to anger. Dr Costello said these two types of symptoms — behavioural and cognitive — are the main ways the disease shows up in patients.

One major challenge with CTE is that it cannot be fully confirmed while a person is still alive. Doctors can only give a definite diagnosis after a person has died and their brain has been examined. While living, patients who show the right signs are told they likely or probably have CTE. Ms Schulte said this makes it even harder to understand how many domestic violence survivors are affected. She said survivors already face many barriers to speaking up about abuse, which means the true scale of the problem is still unknown.

Health experts and advocates agree that fixing this problem requires a wider community effort. Ms Schulte said awareness cannot only come from health services or domestic violence organisations. 'We need a broader community response, which is really essential to victim-survivors so that they can be made aware and access an informed, compassionate response, wherever they're seeking help,' she said. Everyone — teachers, community workers, and neighbours — has a role to play in supporting survivors. By spreading understanding of CTE, more people may be able to recognise the signs and connect survivors to the care they need.