The Kronzek Firm
Dealing with the troubling emotions of separation, divorce, or child custody matters can be difficult. However, navigating legal battles or child rearing around Bloomfield, Birmingham, Troy, or Clarkston with your ex who has a severe mental illness can be even harder.
Borderline Personality Disorder, or BPD for short, is a serious mental illness that affects thousands of Michiganders. Those with BPD often experience inappropriate anger, impulsiveness, and frequent mood swings that damage relationships with those around them. This is just one of many severe personality disorders that can hurt families if not properly managed. Sometimes, there can be more than one mental illness going on. For example, it is possible for the other parent to also be a narcissist with borderline personality disorder, a dual diagnosis, severe depression or even a bi-polar diagnosis. Generally speaking, BPD is one of 10 recognized personality disorders.
What Can I Do?
If your ex has been diagnosed with BPD, this diagnosis likely explains erractive, obsessive, intense emotions and actions. In fact, there are specific criteria that providers use to evaluate a patient when they suspect BPD. The National Institute of Mental Health says that a person diagnosed with borderline personality disorder has a significant impairment of their ability to regulate their emotions. This can lead to poor self esteem and/or problematic relationships with others. They often present as being very impulsive while seeing things as either black or white with no room for gray areas.
While you probably don’t have much control about whether your ex sees a mental health provider or if they take medications, there are some things you can do to protect you and your kids from unpredictable behavior. In some cases, our family law attorneys request court orders for a psychological evaluation followed by mandatory treatment for a diagnosed personality disorder.
How could my ex’s BPD affect my child?
Because of the potential explosive tendencies, BPD can be damaging to kids. This is especially true if the other parent struggles with self-validation or attachment problems, both common traits in those with BPD. The other parent may become extremely possessive of your child because they want to feel wanted.
This instability can leave your child feeling confused and “caught-in-the-middle.”
The best thing to do when you have an ex with diagnosed BPD is to help set clear boundaries and expectations. An experienced family law attorney can help you do so!
The Kronzek Firm Has Great Success Reaching Resolutions!
The Kronzek Firm can help you through this difficult time as you deal with your ex who has been diagnosed with BPD or other mental illnesses. At The Kronzek Firm, our compassionate and aggressive attorneys have decades of experience handling complicated family law cases in Oakland County. We can help you navigate this difficult situation. Just call 800-576-6035. today to set up your free consultation!