Stress of War Shatters More Marriages

mildiv.jpgThe Pentagon reported the divorce rate among military members increased again in the past year and is now a full percentage point higher than it was around the time of the September 11, 2001, attacks.  According to their figures, the divorce rate of about 3.6 percent for fiscal year 2009 increased from the reported 2001 rate of 2.6 percent.  Women in uniform continued to have a much higher divorce rate than their male counterparts – 7.7% in 2009 compared with only 3% for men.  Air Force Maj. April Cunningham, a Defense Department spokeswoman, said the latest year-to-year change was relatively small because the services have made available programs focused on strengthening and enriching family bonds among couples.  “We believe these programs are instrumental in mitigating the stresses deployment places on marriages,” said Cunningham.

The actual data for the Afghanistan study indicated that the Army is trying to increase the number of mental health providers for the 68,000 US troops having problems such as acute stress, depression, and anxiety from the current number of 43 to roughly 103.  Seemingly, a very low number of counselors in my opinion!

“Every marriage has controllable and uncontrollable factors,” said Joe Davis, spokesman for the … Read More... “Stress of War Shatters More Marriages”

Online Assessment Tools – Do You Think You Might Have a Problem?

otools.jpgHere is a list of links to various online assessment tools that might be valuable for those interested in learning where they might score in areas that can frequently impact a marriage. Originally, I just intended to post an online depression assessment tool since many people going through a divorce suffer from some degree of depression. But once I started on the project, as you can see, the list kept growing. Here they all are:

Additionally, if these assessment tools are not what you are looking for, consider checking out my previous post, “Divorce Calculator – We have an App for That.” Economist, Betsey Stevenson, from the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School in Philadelphia, developed the calculator based upon a recent study which has shown that the … Read More... “Online Assessment Tools – Do You Think You Might Have a Problem?”

Divorce Cases Can Cause Emotional Explosions

emot.jpgDivorce cases can be emotionally devastating to the parties. As a family law attorney, I not only have to evaluate the facts and give sound advice to my client, but I need to use my best set of skills to assess the client’s emotional stability, support network, and anxiety level. Sometimes this is relatively easy and in other cases it is extremely tough.

I am writing about this topic after reflecting about the Dayton Daily News article on August 28, 2008, about the local Trotwood police detective who survived two gunshot wounds inflicted by his wife because she was upset that he was divorcing her. It is so sad that apparently her anger led her to take such an irrational and violent act. I have learned that reaction to a divorce can run the entire gamut, ranging from happiness, paralysis, anger, depression, revenge; and yes, even to murder or suicide. I often spend as much time in a client conference considering the emotional aspects of the client as the legal aspects. While lawyers may be well trained in the law, we are not psychologists or experts in evaluating a client’s mental health. But the more experience we gain as family … Read More... “Divorce Cases Can Cause Emotional Explosions”

The Role and Functions of a Guardian ad Litem in the State of Ohio, Pt. 2

In part 2, Attorney Anne Shale lists four more functions of a Guardian ad Litem in the State of Ohio including her conclusion.

Who pays for the services of the Guardian ad Litem?

The Court has great discretion in determining which party shall pay for the services of a Guardian ad Litem. In many instances, the Court will initially direct each party to pay for one half of the Guardian ad Litem’s fees. Depending upon the recommendations of the Guardian ad Litem, the Court may reserve the right to reallocate or reapportion the payment of the fees for the Guardian ad Litem.

For example, if Mother is asserting that Father is abusive with a harmful dependence upon drugs and/or alcohol and the Guardian ad Litem finds no evidence of same with his/her investigation of the family unit, the Court may direct Mother to pay for all of the Guardian ad Litem’s fees.

What are the “usual” fees for having a Guardian ad Litem?

The “usual” fees will vary from case to case and from Court to Court so the answer is dependent upon the facts of the case and the Court having jurisdiction of the case. In the Domestic Relations … Read More... “The Role and Functions of a Guardian ad Litem in the State of Ohio, Pt. 2”

Grandparent Custody Issues From a Lawyer’s Viewpoint

Grandparents Gaining “Custody” of Their Grandchildren: Why? How? Where?

In an ideal world, children should be reared by a loving and caring two-parent family, having both a Father and a Mother, with plenty of caring relatives to assist with parenting activities during times of stress, need, or illness. Today, we are seeing more and more Grandparents taking on the responsibility of primary child-rearing of their Grandchild or Grandchildren. For the sake of brevity, this article is directed to Grandparents seeking “custody” of one Grandchild though they may, in fact, be seeking “custody” of several Grandchildren. Why are we seeing and reading about this happening or phenomenon?

    1. Some parents have problems with untreated mental illness. Our firm recently assisted Grandparents in gaining “temporary custody” of their young Grandson as the child’s Mother has Bipolar Disorder, aka Manic Depressive Disorder. When she adhered to her medication regime, she could provide safe and effective parenting for her Son. When she decided to discontinue her psychotropic medications, symptoms of her mental illness returned and she was not capable of providing for the needs of her Son.

 

  • Some parents have problems with alcoholism and other addictions. Persons who become physiologically and psychologically dependent upon
… Read More... “Grandparent Custody Issues From a Lawyer’s Viewpoint”
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