Q: i want a divorce from a bipolar spouse. will he get custody or shared custody of our kids? what are the chances?
he stopped taking the full dose of his meds recently and some of his manic symptoms re-appeared, paranoia, people out to get him. he is also making up lies about things I have supposedly said to him. he is going from manic to depressed and back to manic. he also gets auditory hallucinations. He has not seen his psychologist or psychiatrist either. Ive been asking him about it but there is only so much i can do. Tonite, i made him take the full 300mg but i can't live this way with him being defiant and accusing me talking into my phone to "those people". I need him out of our lives. but is there a good chance he will get any kind of custody of the kids? I just can't have him having unsupervised visitations. I don't know what to do. I have a daughter with debilitating anxiety and doesn't go to school but we are homeschooling and she is seeing a counselor, so if he is gone, i can't work. I want him to be well but he doesn't think he is that sick.
A:
Unfortunately, as you know, bipolar disorder can be dangerous. In Texas, the courts prefer to have both parents involved in the lives of their children. However, judges take the best interest of the child very seriously. The visitation awarded to the father will depend upon how the court views his illness and whether the court believes it will endanger the child to be with him unsupervised.
Contact a local family law attorney to discuss your situation. The attorney can review all of the facts and let you know what options you have.
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