Divorce is a life-changing time, particularly for those who suffer from mental health issues. For those who suffer from depression and anxiety issues, the end of a marriage is particularly devastating and complex to process.
The stress of divorce can intensify mental health issues, impacting spouses and children emotionally, particularly if one spouse is suffering from Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD). The trauma of separation can lead to extreme acts, false accusations, and other problems, particularly when marital dissolution veers away from mediation and enters the courtroom.
A gradual decline
BPD does not occur overnight. Seeds are planted when marriages are on the rocks. Combine existing anxiety over a failing marriage and raising kids, stress can build up to a potential break, even for the most emotionally stable spouses.
Child custody disputes with a parent with BPD could trigger and intensify feelings of abandonment during the process and the final decision. Some parents take extreme measures, mainly if they are in an unstable state. Love can turn to resentment, if not outright hate, directed at the ex-spouse.
Effects on children
Children caught in the middle can suffer the most. Their best interests should always come first when evaluating how they will divide their time between households. It is essential to minimize conflict around children and refrain from involving children in the process of the divorce, if possible.
The end of a marriage is a monumental event, if not a quantum shift in the lives of ex-spouses and their children. Adding severe mental health issues to the already dysfunctional dynamic only makes a bad situation that much worse.