Feelings Over Facts: How “Mental Health” Became a Weapon

In today’s world, truth is losing ground. In courtrooms, custody battles, and even the workplace, feelings are being used to override facts. The result? A growing number of people—especially parents, victims, and truth-tellers—are being silenced, punished, or labeled as “unstable” without proof.

And perhaps the most dangerous tool in this new arsenal?
Mental health evaluations.

🧠 When “Mental Health” Becomes a Legal Strategy

In family law cases, mental health is increasingly being used as a legal tactic—not a healing tool. Lawyers advise their clients to claim the other parent is depressed, unstable, or unfit. These accusations can lead to court-ordered psychiatric evaluations, supervised visitation, or even the loss of parental rights—before any evidence is presented. (source)

Once you’re forced into an evaluation, you enter a trap:

• Repetitive, confusing questions designed to test for inconsistencies.
• Invasive interviews and home visits.
• If one evaluator doesn’t find a problem, the court might order another.

It’s exhausting, humiliating, and expensive.

💸 The High Cost of “Mental Health”

These evaluations often cost between $2,000 and $10,000—and some cases report totals as high as $15,000 or more. (source) They’re rarely covered by insurance, because they aren’t considered “medically necessary.” They’re court tools—not healing resources.

And if you can’t afford it? That’s too bad. Courts may:

• Force you to split the bill
• Assign the full cost to one parent (often the accused)
• Deny custody rights until compliance

(source)

Imagine being accused, forced to defend your sanity—and then handed a $10,000 bill for the privilege.

⚖️ When Feelings Replace Facts

We’ve entered an era where perceived fear and feelings can overrule evidence. In custody courts:

• Mothers are nearly twice as likely as fathers to have their mental health weaponized against them—often after surviving abuse. (source)
• Children can be removed and subjected to reunification therapy, isolating them from the parent they trust. (source)

In the legal system at large, cases like Estelle v. Smith (1981) remind us that forced psychiatric evaluations can violate constitutional rights when used improperly. (source)

And laws like Florida’s Baker Act—meant to protect—are increasingly criticized for vague, sweeping power to detain people based on unproven claims. (source)

🧩 It’s Not About Healing—It’s About Control

Let’s call it what it is.

The system isn’t about helping people. It’s about controlling people. Mental health, in this context, is the perfect weapon because:

• Feelings can't be proven—but can be punished.
• Evaluations can be manipulated.
• Labels can last forever.

🙋♀️ My Stand as American Nana

I support real mental health care—care that heals, not hurts. But I will never support a system that:

• Strips parents of rights without evidence
• Forces people to take costly, repeated evaluations
• Turns pain into a profit center
• Uses “help” as a weapon

Mental health is real.
But using it to silence truth? That’s just plain evil.

🪑 Pull Up a Chair on the Porch

Have you lived this? Do you know someone who has?
Leave a comment or join me over on X (@AmericanNana). This month, let’s bring real awareness to Mental Health Awareness Month.

Not silence. Not shame.
Truth. Healing. And the American Way.

Written by Nana Creamer