[{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org\/","@type":"BlogPosting","@id":"https:\/\/www.kraayeveld.com\/blog\/divorce-suicide\/#BlogPosting","mainEntityOfPage":"https:\/\/www.kraayeveld.com\/blog\/divorce-suicide\/","headline":"Divorce & Suicide","name":"Divorce & Suicide","description":"Alarming Statistics and Who is at Risk A recent\u00a0article\u00a0in Psychology Today provided that the rate of suicide for people who are divorced or separated is 2.4 times greater than those who are married.\u00a0More surprising is the huge difference in the suicide rate among divorced men compared to divorced women.\u00a0Divorced men were nine times more like […]","datePublished":"2020-07-21","dateModified":"2025-09-15","author":{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.kraayeveld.com\/blog\/author\/james-kraayeveld\/#Person","name":"James Kraayeveld","url":"https:\/\/www.kraayeveld.com\/blog\/author\/james-kraayeveld\/","identifier":29,"image":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/f327c36375f93cacc1f5818cbd6ca5f9c1c362ddf86682a8d1f0adac2b1f6198?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/f327c36375f93cacc1f5818cbd6ca5f9c1c362ddf86682a8d1f0adac2b1f6198?s=96&d=mm&r=g","height":96,"width":96}},"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Kraayeveld Family Law","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/www.kraayeveld.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/Kraayeveld-Logo.svg","url":"https:\/\/www.kraayeveld.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/Kraayeveld-Logo.svg","width":0,"height":0}},"image":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/www.kraayeveld.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/dan-meyers-hluOJZjLVXc-unsplash.jpg","url":"https:\/\/www.kraayeveld.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/dan-meyers-hluOJZjLVXc-unsplash.jpg","height":683,"width":1024},"url":"https:\/\/www.kraayeveld.com\/blog\/divorce-suicide\/","about":["General"],"wordCount":659,"articleBody":"Alarming Statistics and Who is at RiskA recent\u00a0article\u00a0in Psychology Today provided that the rate of suicide for people who are divorced or separated is 2.4 times greater than those who are married.\u00a0More surprising is the huge difference in the suicide rate among divorced men compared to divorced women.\u00a0Divorced men were nine times more like to die by suicide than a divorced woman.\u00a0To put that another way, nine divorced men die by suicide for every one divorced woman.The statistics for the regular population show that 3.5 women die of suicide compared to every one male. Dr. Glen Sullivan, the author of the article, wondered why there is this incredible imbalance? Citing Dr. Kposowa, a sociologist at the University of California \u2013 Riverside, Dr. Sullivan considered that we undervalue the strength of the paternal-child bonds and thus underestimate the traumatic effects of the typical custody arrangements that sever those bonds.\u00a0We fail to appreciate the catastrophic financial impact of divorce on men, the anger and the resentment engendered by losses of both property and status.Dr. Sullivan states that there must be more afoot.\u00a0Could the risk factors for divorce in men be related to the risk factors of suicide in divorced men? \u00a0Dr. Sullivan provides two examples.\u00a0If a man shows poor decision making during the marriage (overspending, drinking, bad behavior, etc.), he will likely after his divorce continue this poor behavior which may lead to eventual self-inflicted death.\u00a0Similarly, if a man works day and night, which could cause the divorce, he will then also find himself without friends and a support system.Research in this regard is obviously very necessary. As a\u00a0divorce\u00a0attorney, I reflected on this data and wondered why more men than women die from suicide when they divorce?Are men wired to be more suicidal than women?\u00a0But again, the overall data is contrary to that finding.Do men have certain risk factors that causes the divorce\u00a0and\u00a0the suicide like Dr. Sullivan wondered? My gut feeling is that a section of the male and female population has problem behaviors that could cause a divorce and could cause a death by suicide.Based on my\u00a0divorce work\u00a0with both men and women, I wonder if the increased male suicide rate is in part caused by our societal thinking about divorce.\u00a0Both mom and dad presume that dad will receive every other weekend parenting time.\u00a0Both mom and dad will assume that dad will have to pay child support. Both parents function based on those assumptions for some time before\u00a0visiting an attorney. Dad ends up being a weekend dad, working increased hours during the week to pay for\u00a0child support\u00a0and other additional obligations which he was ordered to pay in the divorce judgment.With the increased financial burdens, dads have limited time available to obtain emotional support.\u00a0Although dads may not be quick to admit it, men do not quickly share their heartaches with friends or professionals.\u00a0In short, the initial presumptions that dads end up being a weekend dad may lead to a slew of additional presumptions, burdens and potentially depression.Different courts have different procedures, but Michigan Court Rules allow both moms and dads to obtain a temporary order while the divorce is pending. Such an order would provide dad with custody and parenting time based on a review of the best interest factors.\u00a0The judge may provide mom with custody; dad with custody; or provide the parents with shared custody.\u00a0When matters seem hopeless because the marriage is ending, there is the impending loss of a relationship with a partner and children, a visit with the Kraayeveld Family Law attorneys will provide some answers, realistic expectations and a game plan for the future. As Nelson Mandela said: \u201cMay your choices reflect your hopes; not your fears.\u201d\u00a0Please call us at 616-285-0808\u00a0and let us help set up or amend a\u00a0custody\u00a0and\u00a0parenting time plan."},{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org\/","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Blog","item":"https:\/\/www.kraayeveld.com\/blog\/#breadcrumbitem"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Divorce & Suicide","item":"https:\/\/www.kraayeveld.com\/blog\/divorce-suicide\/#breadcrumbitem"}]}]