{"id":12039,"date":"2018-10-27T13:40:46","date_gmt":"2018-10-27T18:40:46","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/sites.law.duq.edu\/juris\/?p=12039"},"modified":"2019-05-20T21:23:13","modified_gmt":"2019-05-21T02:23:13","slug":"depression-in-the-legal-profession","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sites.law.duq.edu\/juris\/2018\/10\/27\/depression-in-the-legal-profession\/","title":{"rendered":"Depression in the Legal Profession"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"\"
Photo courtesy of http:\/\/world.edu\/despair-depression-law-school-real-need-attention\/;
Google Images.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

By: Samantha Dorn, Staff Writer<\/strong><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The American Bar Association\u2019s (ABA) National Mental Health Day for Law Schools took place on October 10, 2018.[1]<\/sup><\/a>\u00a0 On this day, law schools across the country were encouraged to sponsor programs concerning the stigma of depression and anxiety among law school students and lawyers, and how this stigma can be reduced.[2]<\/sup><\/a>\u00a0 While this campaign focused on programs and resources available to law students, it is just one of many that have been created to educate all legal practitioners about depression\u2019s prevalence.[3]<\/sup><\/a><\/p>\n

The National Institute of Mental Health classifies depression as a serious mood disorder, whose symptoms affect how a person feels, thinks, and handles daily activities.[4]<\/sup><\/a>\u00a0 Some of its symptoms include: a persistent sad, anxious, or empty mood; feelings of hopelessness; irritability; loss of interest or pleasure in hobbies and activities; decreased energy; difficulty concentrating; difficulty sleeping; changes in appetite; and thoughts of death or suicide.[5]<\/sup><\/a>\u00a0 Doctors diagnose a person with depression if he or she experiences some of these symptoms most of the day, nearly every day, for at least two weeks.[6]<\/sup><\/a><\/p>\n

The statistics on the occurrence of depression among lawyers are staggering.[7]<\/sup><\/a>\u00a0 Lawyers are more than three times more likely to suffer from depression than other professions.[8]<\/sup><\/a>\u00a0According to a study conducted by the ABA and the Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation, twenty-eight percent of lawyers surveyed struggle with depression and nineteen percent with anxiety.[9]<\/sup><\/a>\u00a0 The highest incidence of depression and anxiety among lawyers occurs within their first ten years of practice.[10]<\/sup><\/a><\/p>\n

There are explanations as to why such a high prevalence of depression and other mental illnesses exist in the legal community.\u00a0 Attorneys are often highly ambitious and over-achieving perfectionists.[11]<\/sup><\/a>This can cause attorneys to be less flexible and accommodating towards others than other professionals.[12]<\/sup><\/a>\u00a0 Attorneys tend to be more pessimistic than others; however, this is often seen as a positive attribute in the profession because having the ability to see problems and troubles arising is essential to the profession\u2019s idea of \u201cprudence.\u201d[13]<\/sup><\/a>\u00a0 Combine this personality with a demanding and highly competitive office environment, and the stage is set for a potential crisis if underlying issues are not resolved.[14]<\/sup><\/a>\u00a0 Outside the office, the adversarial nature of the legal profession can have severe consequences on personal relationships when the techniques used to persuade others are applied to friends and loved ones outside the legal world.[15]<\/sup><\/a><\/p>\n

Law students are no exception to this trend.[16]<\/sup><\/a>\u00a0 But interestingly, the prevalence of depression among students increases the longer they are in school.[17]<\/sup><\/a>\u00a0 The Dave Nee Foundation reports that eight to nine percent of students already have depression when they begin law school.[18]<\/sup><\/a>\u00a0 This number increases to twenty-seven percent after one semester, thirty-four percent after two semesters, and forty percent after finishing three years of schooling.[19]<\/sup><\/a>\u00a0\u00a0Like attorneys, law students are constantly under stress, and students are taught to think pessimistically as they learn to \u201cthink like a lawyer.\u201d[20]<\/sup><\/a>\u00a0 When these are combined with certain factors, such as genetic predisposition or a family history of depression, it again creates that \u201cperfect storm\u201d for depression to present itself.[21]<\/sup><\/a><\/p>\n

Many practitioners are very aware that depression exists in higher numbers in the legal field.\u00a0In spite of this, the stigma surrounding depression that pervades the profession (and society as a whole) prevents many from seeking help.[22]<\/sup><\/a>\u00a0 Dan Lukasik\u2014lawyer, speaker, and creator of the blog Lawyers with Depression<\/em>\u2014sums up this apprehension:<\/p>\n

Many lawyers do not seek help for their depression.\u00a0 For those who do, too often they feel ashamed of their struggle.\u00a0 Lawyers are, after all, supposed to be \u201cfixers,\u201d not people with \u201cproblems.\u201d \u00a0But depression can\u2019t be \u201cfixed\u201d by one\u2019s self.[23]<\/sup><\/a><\/p>\n

Lukasik is correct; depression cannot be \u201cfixed\u201d by one\u2019s self.\u00a0 Treating a person diagnosed with depression often requires a combination of medication, therapy, and lifestyle changes to help a sufferer overcome the hurdles that it brings.[24]<\/sup><\/a>\u00a0 Fortunately, there are resources available (a few of which are listed below) to anyone who may be struggling.\u00a0 Anyone who may be suffering can seek out a professional or a support group for people who are also experiencing the same of what he or she is experiencing.[25]<\/sup><\/a>\u00a0 Depression may be a hard battle to fight, but one does not have to fight it alone.<\/p>\n

Resources:<\/strong><\/p>\n

Lawyers Concerned for Lawyers \u2013 Pennsylvania<\/strong><\/p>\n

Confidential help-line for lawyers and law students within PA<\/em><\/p>\n

1-888-999-1941<\/p>\n

http:\/\/www.lclpa.org<\/a><\/p>\n

ABA Commission on Lawyer Assistance Programs (CoLAP)<\/strong><\/p>\n

Provides resources and lawyer assistance programs for lawyers in all states and territories<\/em><\/p>\n

https:\/\/www.americanbar.org\/groups\/lawyer_assistance\/<\/a><\/p>\n

LawLifeline<\/strong><\/p>\n

Mental health resources specifically aimed at law students<\/em><\/p>\n

http:\/\/www.lawlifeline.org<\/a><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Sources:<\/strong><\/p>\n

\n

[1]<\/a>National Mental Health Day for Law Schools \u2013 October 10, 2018<\/em>,American Bar Association, https:\/\/www.americanbar.org\/groups\/lawyer_assistance\/events_cle\/mental_health_day\/ (Oct. 10, 2018).<\/p>\n

[2]<\/a>Id.<\/em><\/p>\n

[3]<\/a>See<\/em>Commission on Lawyer Assistance Programs<\/em>,American Bar Association, https:\/\/www.americanbar.org\/groups\/lawyer_assistance\/ (last visited Oct. 24, 2018).<\/p>\n

[4]<\/a>Depression<\/em>,National Institute of Mental Health, https:\/\/www.nimh.nih.gov\/health\/topics\/depression\/index.shtml (last visited Oct. 24, 2018).<\/p>\n

[5]<\/a>Id.<\/em><\/p>\n

[6]<\/a>Id.<\/em><\/p>\n

[7]<\/a>Dan Lukasik, Depression and Hope in the Legal Profession<\/em>, Lawyers with Depression (Nov. 2, 2016), http:\/\/www.lawyerswithdepression.com\/articles\/depression-hope-legal-profession\/.<\/p>\n

[8]<\/a>Id.<\/em><\/p>\n

[9]<\/a>Id.<\/em><\/p>\n

[10]<\/a>Id.<\/em><\/p>\n

[11]<\/a>Tyger Latham, The Depressed Lawyer<\/em>, Psychology Today, \u00a0https:\/\/www.psychologytoday.com\/us\/blog\/therapy-matters\/201105\/the-depressed-lawyer (May 2, 2011).<\/p>\n

[12]<\/a>Id.<\/em><\/p>\n

[13]<\/a>Martin E. P. Seligman, Why Are Lawyers So Unhappy?<\/em>, Lawyers with Depression (Nov. 16, 2007), http:\/\/www.lawyerswithdepression.com\/articles\/why-are-lawyers-so-unhappy\/.<\/p>\n

[14]<\/a>Latham,supra<\/em>.<\/p>\n

[15]<\/a>Id.<\/em><\/p>\n

[16]<\/a>Lawyers & Depression<\/em>,Dave Nee Foundation, http:\/\/www.daveneefoundation.org\/scholarship\/<\/p>\n

lawyers-and-depression\/ (last visited Oct. 24, 2018).<\/p>\n

[17]<\/a>Id.<\/em><\/p>\n

[18]<\/a>Id.<\/em><\/p>\n

[19]<\/a>Id.<\/em><\/p>\n

[20]<\/a>Dan Lukasik, In the Beginning: Depression in Law School<\/em>, Lawyers with Depression (Sept. 3, 2013), http:\/\/www.lawyerswithdepression.com\/articles\/in-the-beginning-depression-in-law-schools\/.<\/p>\n

[21]<\/a>Id.<\/em><\/p>\n

[22]<\/a>Lukasik,Depression and Hope in the Legal Profession<\/em>,supra.<\/em><\/p>\n

[23]<\/a>Id.<\/em><\/p>\n

[24]<\/a>National Institute of Mental Health, supra<\/em>.<\/p>\n

[25]<\/a>Depression: What You Need to Know<\/em>,National Institute on Mental Health, https:\/\/www.nimh.nih.gov\/health\/publications\/depression-what-you-need-to-know\/index.shtml (last visited Oct. 24, 2018).<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By: Samantha Dorn, Staff Writer   The American Bar Association\u2019s (ABA) National Mental Health Day for Law Schools took place on October 10, 2018.[1]\u00a0 On this day, law schools across the country were encouraged to sponsor programs concerning the stigma of depression and anxiety among law school students and lawyers, [\u2026] <\/p>\n

<\/div>\n

Read More<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6,4],"tags":[2481,2483,791,2219,2482,2484,2480,2485],"class_list":["post-12039","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-juris-blog","category-posts","tag-depression","tag-health-and-wellness","tag-law-profession","tag-mental-health","tag-mental-illness","tag-mood-disorder","tag-samantha-dorn","tag-stress"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.law.duq.edu\/juris\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12039","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.law.duq.edu\/juris\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.law.duq.edu\/juris\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.law.duq.edu\/juris\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.law.duq.edu\/juris\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=12039"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/sites.law.duq.edu\/juris\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12039\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":12443,"href":"https:\/\/sites.law.duq.edu\/juris\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12039\/revisions\/12443"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.law.duq.edu\/juris\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=12039"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.law.duq.edu\/juris\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=12039"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.law.duq.edu\/juris\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=12039"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}