In an op-ed published on January 23 in the Orlando Sentinel, Family Law Attorney Rebecca L. Palmer highlights the Reiner family tragedy and shares how children’s mental health concerns are increasingly intersecting with divorce and why it’s important to outline steps to mitigate anxiety and depression directly in parenting plans and divorce-related decisions. Having family law systems in place should always remain a priority, not as an afterthought when families are actively navigating conflict and transition.

“Recent headlines involving the Reiner family tragedy have once again thrust children’s mental health into public conversation and into family courts,” writes Palmer. While details continue to emerge, the broader reality is clear: children’s mental health struggles are increasing in both frequency and severity, and family law systems must confront that reality head-on.”

Palmer points to the data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention showing that anxiety, depression, and behavioral disorders affect millions of children. Divorce can amplify these pre-existing feelings, so parents should take a proactive approach to avoid devastating situations like self-harm.

“Acknowledging a child’s mental health needs may be difficult, but avoidance carries far greater risk,” Palmer affirmed. “Emotional safety is inseparable from physical well-being, and planning for it is no longer optional; it is essential.”

Read the story in full; click here (subscriber-based).