Lawyers Especially at Risk for Depression, Addiction, Suicide
Marcia Eason, President

Marcia Eason President

Several years ago a young woman gave me a cherished gift, a talisman. It is a small coin, inscribed with words that over time have developed deep personal meaning. The gold coin is imprinted with the Serenity Prayer and was a gift from a precious family member.

Its message is about accepting challenges in life, and how we deal with them.

As lawyers we face challenges daily; we are taught to analyze, dissect and solve problems. Our focus is outward directed to legal issues affecting our clients. For the most part, our population of legal professionals consists of intelligent over-achievers, people who are driven to succeed and who work long hours to attain success. Typically, attorneys are not focused inward and may believe the arduous path they have chosen does not allow time for self-awareness or well-being. Because of the client privileges we uphold, our work can be as isolating as it is demanding.

There have been studies in the past several years focused on law student populations that appear to confirm the population demographics for lawyers and that show a higher rate of depression among that student body than in other professional student bodies. Dave Shearon, director of the Commission on Continuing Legal Education and Specialization, has conducted scholarly research in these areas as part of his personal and professional commitment to our profession.

September has been designated as the month for a number of different causes or events, but the most important relate to issues of well-being. National Suicide Prevention Week falls within September, and the entire month is set aside for National Alcohol and Drug Addiction Recovery Month. That the two of these events fall within the same month is probably not coincidental.

Our profession is affected by depression and suicide. Although there are no current numerical studies compiled solely about attorneys, statistics derived from the general population are quite compelling. According to the American Association of Suicidology, more than 31,000 Americans kill themselves every year, and it is the 11th leading cause of death among all persons. There are 89 suicides per day, one every 16 minutes. Over 90 percent of suicide victims have a significant psychiatric illness at the time of their death, many of which were undiagnosed or untreated. According to information available on the American Association of Suicidology Web site, mood disorders and substance abuse are two of the most common conditions, which, if both are present, increase the risk for suicide.

How many suicides occur within our population of legal professionals is difficult to calculate, but from anecdotal information, we are painfully aware that suicides among lawyers do and have occurred. And many of us know how easy it is for some to succumb to pressures and seek some outlet to relieve the pressure of practicing law.

Many, many years ago, as part of my credit for a psychology study course, I was responsible to take calls at a local crisis center hotline. I had not thought about that part of my history until I began reviewing the materials for the TBA’s new Well-Being Task Force. The most profound memory from those calls was the utter loneliness of the callers, at all hours of the day or night. Holidays seemed to cause an increase in anxiety. The hotline had some “regulars” in need of some type of connection with someone, with anyone, even a nameless, faceless student listening in a closet-like room.

Who we are and what we do should drive us to analyze our profession and the stresses it imposes, and the issues related to depression, addiction and suicide. The American Bar Association and the American Association for Justice have recently focused on depression and recovery. The theme adopted by the ABA from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services is “Join the Voices for Recovery — Saving Lives, Saving Dollars.” Recent articles in Time Magazine have focused on the science of addiction and recovery. Tennessee lawyers need to recognize that this problem affects our population as well as the general population.

The Tennessee Bar Association has created a Well-Being Task Force, headed by Memphis lawyer Andy Branham. You will see his comments in this issue of the Tennessee Bar Journal. The Tennessee Board of Professional Responsibility newsletter has included articles written by Tennessee lawyers for Tennessee lawyers to bring attention to these critical issues. Many of the attorneys referred to the Tennessee Board of Professional Responsibility as part of the disciplinary process have problems with some type of addiction or depression. The Tennessee Board of Professional Responsibility and Tennessee Lawyers Assistant Program have worked hand in hand for years to provide attorneys needed resources to help them with these life issues.

The second event in September is one that promises hope — Recovery Month. I understand that when one has identified a problem with addiction, even though he or she is sober, they are “in recovery.” Recovery is a continuous process with focus of one minute, one step at a time, one day at a time. Part of the definition of recovery is to restore or repossess. In the context of depression or addiction, that definition is particularly poignant — to regain or restore one’s life. For lawyers, recovery also includes regaining one’s livelihood.

The mission of the Task Force on Well-Being includes heightening our understanding of the issues associated with our professionals’ well-being through education and other awareness activities. The task force is focused on ways to strengthen the response of the court agencies, including the Board of Professional Responsibility, Board of Law Examiners and Tennessee Lawyers Assistance Program, in coping with these issues. Because lawyers serve clients and affect the public in so many ways, it is essential to balance the need of individual attorneys with the responsibility to protect the public. This Well-Being Task Force is also charged with exploring programs that are designed to enhance attorney well-being and present them to the bar association, its members and the licensed attorneys in our state.

The Tennessee Bar Association focus on well-being is broad and provocative — but it is timely. Key is our lawyers — each of us may have experienced depression or have known a colleague who was depressed or had problems with addictions. The tools that appear in this journal, and the results of the Well-Being Task Force study at year’s end, will educate us on the signs of deepening depression, isolation and addiction. The tools will make us better lawyers, protect our clients, and improve our legal profession.

I close with the focus on hope — we are all in this wonderful but demanding profession as lawyers together. We can reach out and help one another. By learning more about signs of depression, intervention and recovery, we can make a difference in ourselves and in our profession.

SERENITY PRAYER
Grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference.