Depression and Child Custody
According to Mental Health America, up to 80 percent of parents suffering from a mental illness face custody disputes. Often, the non-affected parent or grandparents are awarded custody. In other cases, the children end up in foster care.
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Affect on Children
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According to Medical News Today, children are affected by parental depression because they must take on undue responsibility and endure unfair mood swings from the affected parent.
Custody Evaluations
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A clinical psychologist will conduct a series of tests to observe the interactions the child has with each parent. The psychologist may ask each parent to teach the child the steps to play a game and videotape each session so that she can view and make decisions based on the tape later.
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Counseling
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While getting therapy to help with your depression may be beneficial, the website divorceinfo.com recommends that you check with your lawyer about what information your therapist must reveal in court if subpoenaed.
The Court Decision
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The judge factors in whether the child has a loving relationship with the main parent and whether the parent has been receiving treatment. He will also determine whether there have been any cases of child abuse or neglect and if it is in the child's best interest to remove him from the home.
After the Divorce
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According to the Complete Parent's Guide to Children and Divorce, fathers often sink into a severe depression after the divorce, especially if they lose custody of their children to their ex-wife. They have trouble adjusting to not seeing their children on a daily basis and the shift of responsibility.
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References
- Mental Health America: Factsheet: When a Parent Has a Mental Illness: Child Custody Issues
- Medical News Today: The Affect on Children of Parental Depression
- Child Custody Evaluations Selecting the Right Evaluator
- Divorceinfo.com: Depression
- The Complete Parent's Guide to Children and Divorce: Life After Divorce for Men - Depression Study
- Photo Credit couple arguing image by Luisafer from Fotolia.com
