Miscellaneous

Are Depressed Lawyers a Majority?

By Anne Skove, Esq.

• Lawyers are 3.6 times more likely than average to suffer from depression


• 26% of respondents to a North Carolina Bar Association study exhibited symptoms of clinical depression; 12% reportedly contemplated suicide at least monthly


• Of 104 professions studied, lawyers had the highest rate of depression


• By spring of their first year in law school, 32% of one group of study subjects were depressed; the number climbed to 40% by spring of the third year. Two years after graduation, the number was down to a still-alarming 17%

The statistics on depression and lawyers are always staggering, but the reported numbers could be just the tip of a really sad iceberg. Think of it this way: most of these studies rely on self-reporting, lawyers are notoriously bad at self-assessment, and depression often goes undiagnosed.

A new (to us) Web site, appropriately titled Lawyers with Depression, gathers statistics, articles, resources. links, facts, help, podcasts, inspirational stories, news, etc., etc.

It was "created for lawyers with depression by a lawyer with depression." The ABA has long studied the issue and offered help, and many bar associations likewise run articles in their publications. But this Web site is a unique resource in that it is quite comprehensive and holistic in its approach. More than simple checklists or hotline numbers, this site offers hope and care from all sides: physical, professional, and personal.

See Attorney's Mission Is to Erase the Stigma of Depression, Thomas Adcock, New York Law Journal (March 24, 2008); The Devastation of Depression: Lawyers Are at Greater Risk -- It's an Impairment to Take Seriously, MIchael J. Sweeney, ABA Bar Leader (hello, ABA sections, put some dates on these things please!); Lawyer Depression Comes out of the Closet, Debra Cassens Weiss, ABA Journal (December 13, 2007).

Full post as published by court-o-rama.org on March 22, 2008 (boomark / email).