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 leads to severe depression in the parent. What this does to the father’s worldview is pretty obvious, as the feeling 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 Deprived Parent Syndrome?

For many fathers, the first and immediate result is depression that impairs the father’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 condition.

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 lawyer in the mix surely only adds to the stress and slowly weakens the father’s ability to cope with the world around him. This inability to cope with the emotional onslaught of divorce can leave many men immobilized and frozen in their world.

The deprivation of parental rights

For many men, the judicial system can seem to be weighing against them. Many men believe that the courts are biased towards men and are too inclined to try 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 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 feeling of loss from the divorce is too much. That is where we can begin to attack this issue. Support groups for men 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.