For many in a family, the stress of divorce can be quite high. For parents this is especially true. The sense of loss and, in many cases, the loss of being a parent is too great. For many parents this means a sense of loss and often a great depression in the parent. What this does to the father’s world view is quite obvious, as the sense of betrayal and hopelessness can be overwhelming. All of these events in a father’s life can lead to what is called the Deprived Father Syndrome.
What are the results of the Deprived Father Syndrome?
For many parents, the first and immediate result is a depression that damages the parent’s ability to make a contribution to the world around him. Later, if left untreated, this can lead to other physical illnesses, such as heart attacks, strokes, and other cases where the parent will need to be hospitalized for a medical illness.
Most of the time these events occur in a very hostile and adverse environment. Having your life turned upside down by someone you used to love can be the most stressful thing a parent can go through. A hostile attorney in the mix surely only adds to the stress and slowly weakens the parent’s ability to cope with the world around him. This inability to cope with the emotional rush of divorce can leave many men immobilized and frozen in their world.
disenfranchisement of parents
For many men, the court system can seem weighed against them. Many men believe that the courts are prejudiced against men and are too bent on trying to help the women in the family. They see the world through their own pain and not through any objective means. For many men, they can rightly say that they were disenfranchised in court and elsewhere. However, that is not an excuse to stop living or paying child support.
What can be done about this?
For many men, the sense of loss from divorce is too much. That’s where we can start attacking this issue. Men’s support groups should be emphasized for both men and women. Emotional health must be considered for both parents. Without this consideration, many parents are going to have many health problems that they may not be able to get out of.
