The red herring of adolescent mental health

Abstract

An increase in adolescent distress and mental health symptoms has been clearly documented since the COVID-19 pandemic, as has increased exposure to adverse childhood experiences. Layer on top of these stressors being a youth of divorcing or separating high conflict families, and adolescent symptomatology can suddenly become a flashpoint for parental attention, division and conflict. Approaching cases using an ecological and family systems framework is necessary for accurate conceptualization and assessment of best interests in the context of child custody evaluations. Doing so ensures that adolescent mental health does not become a red herring in high conflict cases, leading to undue focus on the adolescent's mental health without considering other salient factors in the case, such as the broader parent conflict. Programs offered at the Center of Excellence for Children, Families & the Law at William James College designed to improve the lives of youth by addressing parental conflict are described. K E Y W O R D S adolescent mental health, child custody evaluations, ecological model, high conflict, high conflict interventions Key points for the family court community • Multiple layers of an adolescent's ecology can create vulnerability to mental health symptomatology, and was especially true during the COVID-19 pandemic.• When a youth with mental health issues also lives in the context of high conflict divorcing or separating parents,