Lawyer Suicides Inspire Bar Action
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Depression, stress, burnout, a profession filled with workaholics. Does the work drive lawyers to kill themselves?
Although there is no single thread that unites the instances of suicides among lawyers, the American Psychological Association says depression generally is the most likely trigger. Lawyers are 3.6 times more likely to suffer from depression than non-lawyers, and suicide is the third-leading cause of death among practicing attorneys.
Of course, as in many professions, the recession and layoffs can lead to depression and worse.
The National Law Journal reported in 2009 that several prestigious firms had lost attorneys to suicide after they were fired.
Fortunately, a number of bar associations have launched efforts to curb this deadly spiral. California, Florida, Iowa, Mississippi, Montana, North Carolina and South Carolina have added a mental health component to mandatory continuing legal education courses. Kentucky, where 15 lawyers have committed suicide since 2010, starts its annual CLE conference with a presentation on behaviors that raise the risk for suicide. And in Oklahoma, the bar association created its own suicide-prevention hotline after multiple lawyers claimed their own lives several years ago.
While many lawyers are familiar with the relatively high rates of suicide and depression in the profession, the public too often is not. After all, stories about lawyers killing themselves don’t make for sensational copy.
Posted: 2/12/2014 1:33:14 PM by
Angie Olson | with 1 comments