In almost 70% of divorce cases in Israel, at least one partner is struggling with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), according to attorney and mediator Moran Samun.
“With every family who’s got only one child with ADHD, they don’t have to have more than that, they have three times more chance to get a divorce than a regular family,” Samun explained. “So with these conditions, and the understanding that the divorce and separation in Israel are already at a rate of 45%, it’s a lot of people. This is why we need to have a different approach.”
She noted that ADHD is genetic and does not skip generations. Therefore, if a child is diagnosed, it is likely that one of the parents also has ADHD.
Samun, who runs a legal practice in Ramat Gan, focuses on helping couples divorce in a more positive way and without ending up in court. “You need to have the emotional insight and emotional tools to understand the proceeding,” she said. Divorce, she stressed, is one of the biggest crises in a person’s life and can affect their work, self-perception, and relationships with family and friends. “You need to have special tools to handle this.”
This is especially true in contentious marriages. Many people believe they can approach their divorce the way they approached their marriage, but then, Samun warned, “the result will be the same.” The goal, she said, is to have a better divorce than marriage.
“This is why we are approaching this crisis differently,” she explained. “Instead of just arguing in front of court, I build bridges between people who can’t see eye to eye anymore.”
Samun said she is always studying and finding new tools to help her firm’s clients.
In Israel, she added, this has become even more necessary since October 7.
“Today, it’s not only ADHD people we have, it’s also PTSD people that come back from the war, and actually the whole environment in the country, everybody is acting a little bit like they have ADHD – short temper, lateness,” she said. “So, as a lawyer, I’m giving them the legal structures and as an ADHD coach, I’m giving them the understanding, and together, they have the solution inside the courtroom.”
