Legal Question in Family Law in Pennsylvania

Requesting Court to Order a Psychiatric Evaluation

I am a divorced father of one daughter who is 4 years old. We have split custody, but we have joint decision making in all areas. She has been telling my daughter very disturbing things and playing mind games with her. Ex. The fish and cat will starve or die if you are not there to feed them? Always interfers with my court order vacations like not signing the passport and blocking me from access to medical records. Since that time, she has taken my daughter to numerous Doctors, with false claims of illness, and has demonstrated several other disturbing patterns, all of which indicate mental health issues. I have documentation to show that this is the case. Even the Custodial Evaluation says she has a maladaptive personality issue. And in the past she has been diagnosed with severe chemical imbalances but refuses to seek help. I can see that my daughter is starting to be adversly affected by these issues, and I am preparing to obtain an attorney and go back to court soon. I am wondering what circumstances would warrant a request to the Judge for her to undergo a Court Ordered Psychiatric Evaluation and reopen the Maladaptive issue to ensure that my daughter is provided adequate care while in her custody. Thank you


Asked on 12/29/10, 6:44 am

1 Answer from Attorneys
John Davidson Law Office of John A. Davidson

The good news is that if you file for custody in your county within 2 weeks after the conciliation you can request a psychological evaluation of the child's mother. You'll probably have to pay for it but if she doesn't go she'll be in contempt.

If you have any questions feel free to contact me. The initial consultation is free.

{John}

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Answered on 1/03/11, 7:00 am


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