The Toll That Divorce Has On Your Mental Health

Divorce has been recognized as the second most stressful life event you can experience, second only to death of a spouse. The level of effect it has on an individual’s mental health can be detrimental depending on the level of conflict that occurred during the process. The more conflict, the more likely it will have a negative effect on all parties involved in the process including but not limited to the couple separating, their families and friends, and even those representing the case legally.

Mr. David Badanes, Esq. shared some of the most common behaviors and changes noticed among clients and their families and friends facing a divorce.

• Mental Illness: Divorce increases the risk of individuals developing mental illness such as depression, anxiety, and PTSD to name a few. Going through an event as stressful as this can trigger onset of these illnesses later in life or make them worse for those who are already diagnosed.
• Grief: The stages of grief include denial, anger, bargaining, depression and acceptance. When you are first starting this process, you may feel denial that a divorce is really happening. Anger is a common emotion that usually follows denial where you start to blame either yourself or others in the falling out of the marriage. You may be tempted to reconcile your marriage – even if it is beyond repair and start to bargain with yourself internally and with your ex-spouse. Depression is often the most common and longest lasting stage in a divorce process when feelings of guilt and shame take over. Finally, you’ll reach acceptance and may realize that the divorce is inevitable.
• Physical Health: Mental health issues can play a large role in your physical health as well. Those struggling with depression, anxiety and other illness may find that they are either eating too little or too much. Sleep quality may worsen leading to a weaker immune system. Additionally, studies examining how stress effects the body have found that cardiovascular health is affected negatively, and they have a much higher risk of developing physical health problems after a divorce.
• Behavioral Changes: Stemming from the stressful feelings and emotions that surround divorce, often times individuals compensate for it in form of unhealthy behavioral changes. These can include drug abuse, decreased productivity, and engaging in other unhealthy coping mechanisms.

There is no guarantee that facing a divorce means you will have to face all of the negative feelings and behaviors that may come along with it. You can take proactive actions take to prevent the decline of your mental and physical health. Doing simple tasks like scheduling a doctor’s appointment or checking in with a therapist or support group can make a huge difference. Additionally, working on instilling healthy habits into your life like exercise and hobbies can be great for improving your well-being.

No matter the case, divorce and its aftermath can be devastating to all individuals being impacted. A good attorney realizes that divorce can be stressful, so they reduce the amount of stress by making sure that the legal aspects of your divorce are handled in the most efficient way possible.

David Badanes, Esq. and the Badanes Law Office, P.C. provides real-world advice to help you through this challenging time. If you are contemplating getting a divorce, and need a divorce lawyer to represent you, call David Badanes and the Badanes Law Office today at 631-239-1702, email at david@dbnylaw.com or visit our web site: www.dbnylaw.com. The Badanes Law Office has offices in Northport, Suffolk County and Uniondale, Nassau County.

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