Many people find it hard to talk to a Milwaukee divorce lawyer about changing their lives if they’re married to a mentally ill spouse. If that’s your situation, you may have been on an emotional roller coaster for quite some time, and you may even feel like you’re at your breaking point.
Common Mental Disorders that Cause Divorce
According to the National Institute of Health, three mental disorders are most commonly associated with divorce: specific phobias, major depression and alcohol abuse. Bipolar disorder, narcissistic personality disorder and anxiety disorders often play a role in divorce, as well.
Some mental disorders don’t show up until later in life (sometimes in a person’s 20s, 30s or even 40s), and some are triggered by traumatic events, so your spouse may seem like a different person than he or she was when you got married. Some mental illnesses even create a co-dependent relationship between spouses: one needs the other to take care of them, and the other needs to feel like a caregiver in order to maintain his or her self-worth.
Most mental disorders are fairly easy for a trained professional to identify, but the responsibility of getting a diagnosis is on the person with the disorder. Many people try to get their spouses to get help for years without success; sometimes it’s best for everyone involved to just let go.
What Your Milwaukee Divorce Lawyer Might Recommend
Your Milwaukee divorce lawyer might suggest that you talk to a counselor who can help you resolve your feelings. Whether you have guilt over leaving a mentally ill spouse, you need help seeing the “big picture,” or you need to know that the divorce isn’t your fault, it might be helpful to talk to an impartial third party. Most people do benefit from talking to a counselor or therapist during divorce, and your attorney might even be able to give you the name and number of a local professional with experience in what you’re going through.
