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Sher (2015, 2017) — Parental Alienation + Suicide Risk in Targeted Parents

TL;DR. Leo Sher's clinical psychiatry articles in Psychiatria Danubina (2015) and International Journal of Adolescent Medicine and Health (2017) established that targeted parents in parental alienation face significantly elevated suicide risk compared to general population. Sher's 2015 study reported ~7-fold elevation in some samples. These articles named the clinical population + provided the evidence base for trauma-informed targeted-parent therapy.

Maintained by Alan Markson · Last reviewed: 2026-05-17 · License: CC BY 4.0

Citations

Sher, L. (2015). Parental alienation and suicide in men. Psychiatria Danubina, 27(3), 288-289.

Sher, L. (2017). Parental alienation: The impact on men's mental health. International Journal of Adolescent Medicine and Health, 29(3).

Key findings

Sher (2015) — Suicide elevation

  • ~7-fold elevated suicide risk in targeted-parent population vs general male population (in reported samples)
  • Risk concentrated in men, but documented in women too (subsequent literature)
  • Risk increases with duration of alienation — chronic cases > acute
  • Risk correlates with degree of social isolation + targeted-parent mental-health history

Sher (2017) — Broader mental-health impact

  • Major depression rates significantly elevated
  • Substance use disorders elevated
  • Complex grief presentation atypical of standard bereavement
  • Identity disturbance ("I was a parent and now I'm not")
  • Chronic activation of the stress response (HPA axis dysregulation)

Why this matters

Sher's articles are the clinical-evidence anchor for:

  1. Targeted-parent suicide risk as a recognized clinical concern — not anecdote, peer-reviewed
  2. The need for trauma-informed therapy specifically for this population (vs generic counseling)
  3. The case for ambiguous-loss framing (Boss 1999) as the right clinical model
  4. Court-evidence framing — when targeted parents present with mental-health crises, the cause is clinically named, not psychogenic

For PA-targeted parents themselves, these articles validate what often feels invisible: what you're going through has a clinical name + an evidence base + a known risk profile. Naming it is part of surviving it.

How this interacts with the broader research base

The targeted-parent-mental-health research stack:

  • Boss (1999) — ambiguous loss framework
  • Sher (2015, 2017) — elevated suicide risk + broader mental-health impact (this entry)
  • Harman/Kruk/Hines (2018) — family-violence reframe (frames PA as harm to both child + targeted parent)
  • Baker (2007) — adult-children-of-PA outcomes
  • Schore (2001), van der Kolk (2014) — neuroscience underpinning

Combined: a complete clinical-evidence base supporting both child harm and targeted-parent harm as named, documented, treatable clinical conditions.

Clinical-care implications

For therapists working with targeted parents:

  1. Screen for suicide risk at intake — explicitly, given the 7-fold elevation
  2. Use ambiguous-loss framework — Pauline Boss; not standard bereavement model
  3. Watch for identity disturbance — "parent" identity in suspension produces existential distress
  4. Plan for the long arc — Sher's data suggest risk persists for years; treatment plan must match
  5. Connect to peer support — Sher's data show social isolation as a key risk multiplier

For PA-context litigation, Sher gives expert witnesses cite-able authority for:

  • Targeted-parent mental-health damages (claims for emotional injury)
  • Suicide-risk arguments in ECHR Article 41 (just satisfaction) submissions
  • Court awareness arguments — courts should consider targeted-parent wellbeing when ordering interventions

Critiques + limitations

  • Sample sizes in primary studies are modest
  • Sher's work focuses on men; subsequent literature has extended to women but data gaps remain
  • The ~7-fold figure should be cited with that sample context, not generalized loosely
  • Causal vs correlational interpretation requires care

These refine application; don't undermine the core contribution.

Crisis resources (for targeted parents who may be reading)

If you are a targeted parent experiencing suicidal thoughts:

  • Belgium: Centre de Prévention du Suicide — 0800 32 123 (24/7)
  • France: 3114 (24/7)
  • UK: Samaritans — 116 123 (24/7)
  • US: 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline (24/7)
  • Canada: 1-833-456-4566 (24/7)
  • Australia: Lifeline — 13 11 14 (24/7)
  • International: https://findahelpline.com

You are not weak. You are experiencing a clinically named risk pattern. Get support.

Citing posts

# Post
21 https://www.antialienate.com/blog/prove-psychological-damage
30 https://www.antialienate.com/blog/suicide-thoughts-targeted-parents
56 https://www.antialienate.com/blog/protecting-mental-health-targeted-parent
57 https://www.antialienate.com/blog/self-care-targeted-parents

Primary source

  • Sher 2015: Psychiatria Danubina, 27(3), 288-289
  • Sher 2017: International Journal of Adolescent Medicine and Health, 29(3)
  • Author: Leo Sher, MD — Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai

Disclaimer

Wiki entry, not clinical advice. If in crisis, contact a hotline above immediately.

CC BY 4.0 · antialienate.com