^^^
I see what you're saying.I meant it as in that the stigma of mental illness caused her to give up custody. I didn't mean it in the legal sense. I meant that she effectively lost custody because of his threat of using the stigma against her.If mental illness had no stigma, it couldn't have been used as a threat. I do get that it's the man in this situation who did this, but the stigma of mental illness..particularly female mental illness allows them to play that card. My father threatened the same if my mother left him- that he would make sure she'd never see the kids again. Sadly this stigma is very real in the legal system, at least it was for me. My father used my mental health record to get away with violence towards me, and succeeded

I totally agree about mothers at risk of losing custody of kids as warranting free representation.I'm pretty certain it does where I live. So sorry to hear of your situations.

xxx