Divorce and Psychological Evaluations

When meeting with clients regarding custody concerns, the phrase "my ex-spouse is crazy" sometimes comes up.  In certain cases, one spouse may in fact be mentally unstable and therefor unfit to have unsupervised visitation with their children.  

In these cases, one option to prove mental instability is to request that the spouse undergo psychological evaluation.  Courts will oftentimes require both spouses to undergo psychological evaluations, though, out of a sense of fairness.  These evaluations, which can be costly, are an important tool in protecting one's children, if in fact the other spouse is not mentally healthy due to alcohol dependency, anger issues, or other problems.  So, carefully consider--with your attorney-- both the costs associated with these evaluations and your own mental health prior to requesting that your ex-spouse be evaluated.