What can be done if there is a family history of depression?
Question: My son was diagnosed with severe depression and attention deficit disorder as a teenager. He later attempted suicide by taking an overdose of his medication. He has sought help over the years for his condition. He has not been able to hold a job. A young lady he was dating as a teen said her baby was his. He believed her and signed the birth certificate. Had I known I would have suggested there be a paternity test performed. During their break up she had told him on several occassions that the child was not really his. My son was jailed for two months last summer for not paying the child support.
He had a job that he liked. It did not work out and he was terminated after about 7 months. During this time he had started to see another psychiatrist with the company insurance. He will soon be un-insured again. I can only imagine that soon they will be looking to lock him up again. He has not seen this child for two years. She does not allow any of us to see her. She has accused him of stalking and verbal abuse. It is my understanding that she even called the prosecutor while he was in jail saying that he was harassing her. There were no charges brought against him for that. He was encarcerated by a county here in Missouri that is proud of its record of going after dead beat dads.
Please understand, I am not saying that mothers do not deserve help with their children. I also realize that there are many women who will lie about paternity and will make false charges of abuse against fathers. She even tried to have me put in jail. She told the police I had threatned her and her property. It was not true. The police were not pleased with her for calling them by the time they left that evening.
What I am trying to get at is..if the illness that my son has is afftecting his ability to work he should not go to jail...possibly even prison this next time around. I don't know how to help him. I am not trying to make him out to be an angel. He can be difficult to get along with. We have a history of depression in our family. My aunt attempted suicide years ago and my great-uncle killed himself when he was in his early 30's. While my son was in jail I worried constantly that he would not make it out of there. What can I do to help him? It does no good, but I worry constantly. I understand what he goes thru. I have lived with and been treated for depression and ADD for many years. Sometimes the smallest tasks seem huge. I cannot imagine how he feels. Any advice would be welcome.
Answer: I suggest that if the mental illness that your son suffers from is so debilitating that it is causing him to lose his job and foster suicidal ideations, you should apply for both State and Federal (SSI or SSD) benefits. You can also look to community based and religious based counseling programs.
With regard to the child, if there has been a court order (not just a DCSE order) that has determined that your son is the biological father of the child, he may be limited to filing a modification of the child support based upon his illness and inability to work. However, if a court order has not been entered concerning paternity, he can file a Motion for Determination of Father-Child Relationship (more commonly known as a paternity action). After the mother is served with the Motion, your son can file a request for genetic testing. If the child is not his, he can file a request with the court for the return of the child support that has been paid. If he is the father of the child, he can ask that court to reexamine the child support figure and establish a custody and visitation schedule. Due to your son's mental health condition it would not be surprising that some restrictions may be placed upon his custody time including no overnight visitation or even supervised visitation.
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