Divorce is a traumatic experience for a child under any circumstances. They were certainly so in mine, in which several intervening factors complicated the ability to develop effective psychological coping mechanisms. I was nine years old when my parents got divorced. The divorce was not due to mutual consent or irreconcilable differences but the fact that my mother had an affair with my father's best friend, subsequently leaving the country. Being abandoned by my mother has had lingering effects on my psyche, impacting my ability to form intimate relationships and to trust others. Using my example, it is possible to evaluate the developmental, environmental, cultural, and systemic issues at stake during a major family trauma like divorce. Legal and ethical issues related to my personal case will also be discussed. The analysis will inform a thorough diagnosis and treatment plan, as well as suggesting possible alternatives.

The following issues are...
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