The family law courtroom serves as a theater for child custody wars in some Cincinnati, Ohio divorces. These typically arise when each parent believes they deserve sole or primary custody of their children.
It is natural for parents to spend as much time as possible with their children. However, when one parent takes extreme measures or seems like a different person, it may be down to malicious parent syndrome.
What is malicious parent syndrome?
The mental health and medical communities do not recognize malicious parent syndrome as a formal disorder. Instead, the syndrome refers to abnormal (or even dangerous) parental behaviors exhibited during or after divorce and child custody proceedings.
The syndrome may be responsible when a parent places their child at risk of harm in their efforts to punish a co-parent or make them appear unfit. Behaviors or actions that may indicate malicious parent syndrome include:
- Interference with co-parent visitation and custody rights
- Interference with co-parent access or participation in the child’s activities
- Lying about a co-parent to turn the child against them
- Breaking the law by refusing to obey a child custody court order
- Repeatedly pursuing or engaging in litigation to punish the co-parent
In extreme cases, malicious parent syndrome may cause a parent to inflict some form of harm to the child and then blame the co-parent.
As you can see, malicious parent syndrome is harmful to you, your kids and even the parent suffering from the syndrome. To keep your children safe from a parent exhibiting signs of the syndrome, we suggest speaking with a legal practitioner about your fears. In many cases, you can find a legal solution, such as modifying custody orders or seeking supervised visitation. These actions protect all involved parties until your co-parent recovers from the syndrome.