STRESS, ANXIETY, AND DEPRESSION IN THE LEGAL PROFESSION By Daniel T. Lukasik, Esq. www.lawyerswithdepression.com
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STRESS,ANXIETY,ANDDEPRESSIONINTHELEGALPROFESSION
ByDanielT.Lukasik,Esq.
www.lawyerswithdepression.com
OPENINGSTATEMENT
A2016landmarkstudybytheAmericanBarAssociation'sCommissionofLawyersAssistanceProgramsandtheHazeldenBettyFordFoundation("ABAHazeldenStudy”)publishedtheirfindingsofnearly13,000practicingattorneysfrom19statesandacrossallregionsofthecountry.Itfoundthat28percent,19percent,and23percentarestrugglingwithsomeformofdepression,anxiety,andstress,respectively.Whilemenhadsignificantlyhigherlevelsofdepression,womenhadhigherlevelsofanxiety.Lawyerswhohadbeeninpracticelessthanthenyearshadthehighestratesofall.Researchersfoundthatbetween21and36percentqualifyasproblemdrinkerscomparedto8to10percentofthegeneralpopulation.Attorneyswerealsoquestionedregardingtheiruseofvariousclassesofbothlicitandillicitsubstances.Oftheparticipantswhoendorsedtheuseofaspecificsubstanceclassinthelast12months,thoseusingstimulantshadthehighestrateofweeklyusage(74.1%),followedbysedatives(51.3%),tobacco(46.8%),marijuana(31.0%),andopioids(21.6%).Aswiththestaggeringratesofmentalhealthproblems,fartoomanylawyersaredrinkingandusingbothlicitandillicitsubstances."Thislong-overduestudyclearlyvalidatesthewidelyheldbutempiricallyundersupportedviewthatourprofessionfacestrulysignificantchallengesrelatedtoattorneywell-being,"saidPatrickKrill,alawyerandformerdirectoroftheprogramforlegalprofessionalsattheHazeldenBettyFordClinic."Anywayyoulookit,thisdataisveryalarmingandpaintsthepictureofanunsustainableprofessionalculturethat'sharmingtoomanypeople."FollowingtheABA/Hazeldenstudy,anationaltaskforceonlawyerwell-beingwasassembledanditsreport,"ThePathtoLawyerWell-Being:PracticalRecommendationsforPositiveChange,"wasissuedandstatedthatthestudy'sfindingswerenotlimitedtodepression,anxiety,drinking,anddrugabuse:"Theparadeofdifficultiesincludessuicide,socialalienation,workaddiction,sleepdeprivation,a‘diversitycrisis,'work-lifeconflict,incivility,anarrowingofvaluessothatprofitpredominates,andnegativepublicperception."Lawyersstartfacingveryheavyworkloadsandconflictswiththeirvaluesystemsrightwhentheyenterlawschoolwheretheyencounterintensecompetitionwithlike-mindedperfectionistswhichleadstolonghoursofstudyandcreatesanenormousamountofstress.Additionally,theemphasisonanalysismakesmanystudentslosetheirconnectiontotheiroriginalreasonforjoininglawschool–passionforthelaworhelpingpeople.Theyoftenstrugglewithanxietyanddepressionandmanyturntoalcoholordrugstorelievethetensionandrelax.
A2016surveyof3,300lawstudentsfoundthat17percentscreenedpositivefordepression,23percentformildtomoderateanxietyand14percentforsevereanxiety.Forty-threepercentreportedbingedrinking.Ifyouarenotalawyerwhostruggleswithoneormoreoftheseissues,itisvirtuallycertainthatyouhavealawyercolleagueorfriendwhodoes.Inadditiontoexternalpressures,lawyersandlawstudentstendtobeoverachievingindividualswhovalueself-sufficiency,andtheabilityto"pullthemselvesupbytheirbootstraps,"andthedrivetoachievetheirgoals.Inthedailygrindofpracticinglaw,lawyersoftengoitalone.Lastspring,TheWashingtonPostreportedonastudyonloneliness.TheresultsofthestudypublishedintheHarvardBusinessReviewwerealarming:Sixty-onepercentoflawyersranked"aboveaverage"onresearchers'lonelinessscalefollowedbyengineers(57%),researchscientists(55%),workersinfoodpreparationandserving(51percent),andthoseineducationandlibraryservices(45%).Lawyersareuniqueinthattheyarenotonlyrequiredtoworklonghourstosatisfyexistingclients,butalsogeneratenewbusiness,andtheyfindthemselvesconstantlyworkinginordertosurviveinacompetitiveindustry.Thisworkscheduleoftendisruptsrelationsathome,leavingthemwithnoonetoturntoandlonely.Lawyersareexpectedandpaidtosolveeveryoneelse'sproblems,tobestrongandsturdy.Theyarenotsupposedtohavementalhealthproblemsor,iftheydo,nottogripeaboutthem.Notonlydoclients,courts,andopposingcounselhavethisexpectation,butlawyersthemselvessetveryhigh,andoftenself-defeating,standardsfortheirprofessionalandpersonalliveswhenitcomestomentalandemotionaltoughness.Itoftendetersthemfromgettinghelpwhentheyreallyneedit.FormerlawyerturnedtherapistAlanLevinhitsthenailontheheadwhenhewrites,"Lawyersareahelp-rejectingpopulation.Theymistakenlybelievethatifyou'revulnerable,you'reweak.There'sanotionofbeingtherockofGibraltarforyourclients."Afflictedlawyersfrequentlytrytogoitaloneandsolvetheseproblemsby"flyingsolo."Butmanylacktheself-motivation,direction,time,accountability,energy,andthecommitmenttomakemuchprogress.Notbecausethey'relazy.Notforlackofself-discipline,butbecausetheirbrainisn’tfunctioningoptimally,whateverthecause.Manylawyersstarttoimplementpositivechanges,buteffortswane.It'snotsurprising.Beingunhappy,anxiousordepressedisdisempowering,isn'tit?Itsucksyourenergy.You'reoverwhelmedanddon'tknowwhichwaytoturn.Youprocrastinateandmaybe,eventually,giveup.Andyoumightevenfeelashamedorhateyourselfforit.
Lawyersnotonlydishoutadvice,butthey'realsogivenitbyotherswhodon'tknowwhatit'sliketowalkinalawyer'sshoes.Overtheyears,IcannotcounthowmanytimesI'veheard"Whydon'tyoudothis?"or"Whydon'tyoudothat?"tofeelbetter.Manyofthesesuggestionswerewell-intentioned,butsometimesleftmefeelingangryandmisunderstoodbyotherswhodidn'tknowwhatmydailylifewaslikeasalawyer."Whycan'tyoujustfindthetimetobehealthier?"wasacommonrefrain.Howmanyofyoureadingthishaveheardthat?WillMeyerhofer,aformerBigLawlawyerturnedtherapisttotreatslawyerswithmentalhealthissuesinNewYorkCity,writes: Theimplicationcanbecomethatyou'restrugglingwithanxietyordepression becauseyou'renotdoingyouryogaornotmeditatingornoteatingrightor somehowchoosingtogowithoutsleep,thatit'syourfaultfornothaving masteredsome‘effectivestrategy'thatwouldmakealltheseissuesdisappear. Thefactremainsthatlawcanbebrutal,andmostyoungassociatesarenot equippedforwhattheyfindwhentheyentertheprofession.You'renottossing andturninginbed,roiledbyanxietybecauseyou'rechoosingtoeatpoorlyorto skipyouryogaclass.Ithasalotmoretodowithbeingthrownintothedeepend inanextremelycompetitivebusinesstoooftennotdrivenbycompassionor collegialityorthedesiretomentor,butbyprofitandmoneyandcompetitionfor prestige.Whateverthereasonfortheirmentalhealthproblems,addictions,oreverydayoldunhappiness,manylawyersfeelstuck.PsychiatristJamesGordonwrites: Depressionandanxietyaresignsthatourlivesareoutofbalance,thatwe'restuck. They'reawake-upcallandthestartofajourneythatcanhelpusbecomewholeand happy,ajourneythatcanchangeandtransformourlives.Healingdepression,anxiety, andovercomingunhappinessmeandealingmoreeffectivelywithstress;recovering physicalandpsychologicalbalance;redoingpartsofourselvesthatwe'veignoredor suppressedandappreciatingthewholenessthathassomehowslippedawayfromus,or thatwehaveneverreallyknown.Ifyou'restressed-out,burnedout,orstrugglingwithanxiety,depressionoraddiction,yourlifeisclearlyoutofbalance.Thefirstpartofyourjourneytochangeyourlife,involvesunderstandingtheproblem:Whatdowemeanbystress,burnout,anxiety,anddepression?Whataresomeofthecauses?Howdoeslawyeringcontributetoormakeworsetheseafflictions?Thesecondpartofthejourneyisaskingyourselfwhatyoucandotohelpyourselforanothertogethelp,recover,andstaywell.
STRESS
Muchofthestressthatpeoplefeeldoesn'tcomefromhavingtoomuchtodo.Itcomesfromnot
finishingwhattheystarted.–DavidAllen,authorof"GettingThingsDone"
Lawyersmustcarrymorestressthanmostpeople.Someofthisstressisgoodbecauseitcanprovideenergy,focus,motivation.Itonlybecomesaproblemwhenitnegativelyimpactsusphysicallyandpsychologically."Theofficialnumberisthatsomethinglikeagazillionlawyersarestressed-out,andthatamountstoabajillionpercentoftheprofession,"observestherapistWillMeyerhofercommentingabouthisdistressedlawyerandlawstudentclientele."Iseeitlikecrazy,"helaments.Anotherformerlawyerturnedtherapist,GayleVictor,whoworksoutsideChicago,reportsthatstressed-outlawyersaccountfor75%ofherpractice.Toomuchstresscanleadtoahostofchronichealthproblemslikecardiovasculardiseaseandmusculoskeletaldisorders,tonameafew.Earlywarningsignsforchronicstressarejobdissatisfaction,sleepdisturbances,headache,troubleconcentrating,ashorttemper,anupsetstomach,andpoormorale.Youshouldalsobeawareofachangeinpersonalrelationships,increaseduseofdrugsoralcoholandteethgrinding.Weallknowwhatstressfeelslike,butwhat'sgoingoninthebodywhenwe'reexperiencingit?YourBodyonStressWhenthebrainperceivesastimulus,thesympatheticnervoussystemkicksintogear.Ittellstheadrenalglandstoreleasethefirststresshormone,epinephrine(a.k.a.adrenaline).Epinephrinedilatesthebronchialtubesinthelungstomakespaceformoreoxygenandchargestheheart,enablingmorebloodtopushthrough.Itdilatesthebloodvesselsleadingawayfromtheheart,too,sothatoxygenatedbloodcanflowfreelytowhereit'sneededmost:thebrainandthemuscles,whichmustbereadytofleeorfight.Next,thehormonenorepinephrinespurtsfromthenerveendingsofthesympatheticnervoussystem.Norepinephrineconstrictstheveinsleadingtotheheartsoreturningbloodcanslammorepowerfullyintothechamberandexitwithevenmoreforce.Itconstrictsthearteriesleadingtotheskin,too,toslowdown.Finally,thethird—andmajor—stresshormone,cortisol,joinstheparty,alsoemanatingfromtheadrenalglands,tomobilizecells'storedenergyandtokeeptherationscomingforthedurationofthestressor.Innon-emergencysituations,cortisolfollowsthebody'scircadianrhythms:It'shighestintheearlymorning—timetowakeup—andlowestatnight.Hormonelevelsreturntonormalafterthethreat-whetherrealorperceived-isgone.
Youexperiencegoodstresswhenyoufeelasenseofcontrolovertheeventinquestion.Nomatterhowyourbodymayrespondatthemoment,youknowyou'regoingtocomeoutfineontheotherside—andperhapsevenbetterfortheexperience.Arollercoasterridemaysendyourstress-hormonelevelssoaring,butyouknowtheridewillbeoverinminutes."Durationiskey,butsoisyourperceptionoftheexternalevent,"sayspsychologistWendyBerryMendes,oftheUniversityofCalifornia,SanFrancisco."Doyouframethestressorasachallengeorathreat?"Imagineyou'rewaitinginthewingsbeforeanoralargumentincourt.Youknowyoucandothis.Epinephrineshootsintoyoursystem;norepinephrinefollows,butinlesseramounts.Yourheartrateincreases,yourhandsgetwarm,youreyeslightup.Cortisolinchesup.Thisischallengestress.You'rereadytoproveyourcase.Butconsiderascenariowhereinyou'resoworriedaboutyouroralargumentyoucan'tsleepthenightbefore.Thelackofsleepleavesyouramygdala(thepartofthebrainresponsiblefordetectingfearandpreparingforemergencyevents)onhighalert.Momentsbeforeyouenterthecourthouse,you'restillmentallyflippingthroughcaselaw,butyoucan'trememberthedistinctions.Norepinephrinehasbeatenoutepinephrine,causingmoreconstrictionthandilationofyourbloodvessels.Yourheartrateincreases,butlessbloodispushedtothebrainandbody.Cortisolgushes.Yourhandsgocold,andyourmindgoesblank.Thisisthreatstress.Andyourpresentationmaybelessthanoptimal–ortoast.Thestoryworsensifthethreatcontinues—thatisifthestressbecomeschronic.ThenyouexperiencewhatneuroendocrinologistBruceMcEwen,Ph.D.callstoxicstress—you'reoverwhelmedandfeeloutofcontrol."Thingsarecomingatyouleftandright,"hesays."Youcan'tkeepupwiththem.Thereisthedangerofdevelopingasortof‘learnedhelplessness'—thatis,noteventryingtocopeanymorebecauseyoufeelthereisnopoint.Themorethreatenedyoufeel,thelesscapableyoufeel,andtheworseyourphysiologyisgoingtobeasaresult."Alawyerwholefta9to5governmentpositionforalucrativejobinprivatepracticetoldmeoverthephone:"SuddenlyIwasdealingwithsomeverysignificantmoneyandverydemandingclientsandhigh-stakes.IenjoyedwhatIwasdoing,andIwasgoodatit,butIwasterrifiedalmostallthetime.BeforeIgothelp,Iwasdrinkingapintofvodkaadayandrelyingonjuniorlawyerstodomostofmywork."PatrickKrillgavethissummaryofwhyhighlevelsofstressaboundinthelaw: Therampantandmultidimensionalstressoftheprofessioniscertainlyafactor.Andnot surprisingly,therearealsosomepersonalitytraitscommonamonglawyers–self- reliance,ambition,perfectionism,andcompetitiveness–thataren'talwaysconsistent withhealthycopingskillsandthetypeofemotionalelasticitynecessarytoendurethe
unrelentingpressuresandunexpecteddisappointmentsthatacareerinthelawcan bring."Lawyers‘intellectuallyknow'thatsleep,diet,meditation,andexerciseareimportant,"saysTygerLatham,Ph.D.,aWashington,D.C.therapistwhotreatsmanyattorneys."Weknowwefeelbetterwhenwegetagoodnight'ssleep.Butattorneyssacrificesleepandhealthyhabitstomeetunrealisticexpectations.Theyskipmeals,eatout,skipexercising.It'sasnowballeffect.Lawyersmayalsostarttopullawayfromfriendsandfamily,towithdraw.Butit'simportanttofeelconnectedtootherpeople,ortheproblemcompoundswithisolationandshame."LawProfessorBrianClarkeofferstheseinsights:Butwhatevertheproblem,theclientiscountingonthelawyertofixit.EverylawyerIknowtakesthatexpectationandresponsibilityveryseriously.Asmuchasyoutrynottogetemotionallyinvestedinyourclient'scaseorproblem,youoftendo.Whenthathappens,losinghurts.Lettingyourclientdownhurts.Thispainleadstorelivingthecaseandthinkingaboutallofthethingsyoucouldhavedonebetter.Thisthenleadstoincreasedvigilanceinthenextcase.Whilethisisnotnecessarilyabadthing,forsomelawyersthisleadstoaconstantfearofmakingmistakes,thenaconstantspikeofstresshormonesthat,eventually,wearthelawyerdown.
BURNOUT
Burnoutisnature'swayoftellingyou,you'vebeengoingthroughthemotions,yoursoulhasdeparted;you'reazombie,amemberofthewalkingdead,asleepwalker.Falseoptimismislike
administeringstimulantstoanexhaustednervoussystem.-SamKeen,“FireintheBelly”Work-relatedstressthatgoesontoolongcanleadtolawyerburnout.Wefindwe'redepleted,"runningonfumes"toooftenandendupdreadingthenextday.Ifthisgoesonfortoolong,itcouldturnintoburnout.Webecomelikebreadthat'sbeeninthetoastertoolong.Weenduppsychologicallydry,brittleandbreakeasily.We'velostthejoyoflivinglife.Andmaybethepleasureweusedtofeelinpracticinglaw.Burnoutisnotmerelystress,althoughcontinuing,unrelievedstresscanleadtoburnout.It'snotennui,althoughpeopleexperiencingburnoutbecomedisenchantedaboutworkthattheyoncefoundfulfillingandengaging.And,whileanintenseworkloadmaybelinkedtostress,anindividualintheextremestagesofburnoutstopsbeingproductive—they'vebeenstoppedintheirtracks.Whenadrenalinnolongergivesyoutheburstofenergyandfocusyouneedtohandleproblemsasistruewithchallengestress,it'snotonlythatyouaren'tmotivated,butthatyoudon'tcarethatyou'renotmotivated.Youfeelapathyandinertiaoozingintoeverycell.Burnoutisastate
ofemotional,mentalandphysicalexhaustionbroughtonbyunrelentingstressfrequently,butnotexclusively,broughtonbyoverwork.Unfortunately,workaholismasalifestyleisoftenencouragedinthepracticeoflaw.Foronething,itensuresthatbillablesareup,up,up!Andeveryoneishappyaslongastheworkaholicremainsfunctional.Butaworkaholiccan'tremainfunctionalforever.Itisdifficulttomaintainemotionalbonds,adequateself-care,recreationalpursuitsorthespiritualpracticesthatcultivatehope.Anditisthehopelessnessthatsetsinwiththestressthatseemstotankanattorneysufferingburnout.AccordingtoburnoutexpertAnthonyJ.Cedoline,Ph.D.,burnoutis"aconsequenceoftheperceiveddisparitybetweenthedemandsofthejobandtheresources(bothmaterialandemotional)that[alawyer]hasavailabletohimorher.Whendemandsintheworkplacebecomeunusuallyhigh,itbecomesincreasinglyimpossibletocopewiththestressassociatedwiththeseworkingconditions."Intheirbook,"Burn-Out:TheHighCostofHighAchievement,"authorsDr.HerbertJ.FreudenbergerandGeraldineRichelsondescribetheconditionas"ademonbornofthesocietyandtimeswelivein,"addingthatburnout"...isnotaconditionthatgetsbetterbybeingignored.Norisitanydisgrace.Onthecontrary,it'saproblembornofgoodintentions."Freudenbergerdescribedburnout'sgeneralprogressionasfollowing12stages:
1. ACompulsiontoProveOneself2. WorkingHarder3. NeglectingOne'sNeeds4. DisplacementofConflicts5. RevisionofValues6. DenialofEmergingProblems7. WithdrawalfromSocialContacts8. ObviousBehavioralChanges9. Depersonalization10. InnerEmptiness11. Depression12. BurnoutSyndrome
Sincethesestagesofburnoutcanappearabstract,let'sdescribetheprogression.Nearlyeverylawyercanrecallhavingjustpassedthebarexam,beginningtheirfirstjobandbeingdeterminedtonotonlydotheirverybestbuttooutshinetheirpeers.There'snofaultinambition,butwhenitbecomesagrimdeterminationtoshoweveryonearoundyouthatyouaresuperlativeineveryway,theroadtoburnoutbegins.
Soon,youmaybegintosensethatthingsaren'tgoingthewaytheyshould,butyoudon'trecognizethattherealproblemisyourcompulsiveworkhabitsandgrowingisolation.Youmaystarttoexperiencephysicalsymptomsofdistress,likeheadachesorsleepdisturbance.Iftheprocesscontinueswithoutinterruption,neglectofyourneedsleadstoasenseofinneremptiness.Whileworkandachievementwereonceimportantgoals,peopleintheextremestagesofburnoutcanexperiencedepression,aswellasphysicalandemotionalcollapse.Whileeveryone'ssymptomsmayvary,atypicaldescriptiononemighthearisthatitis"afeelingthatIdon'tfeellikeIcandowhatneedsdoing.Mycreativityisgone,myenergyisgone,anditisaburdentodoanything."InherarticleforUSAToday,MaryBethMarklienwritesaboutsomeofthecausesoflawyerburnout: Wearefacedwithalacklustereconomywithfewerjobopportunitiesfornewgraduates enteringthelegalprofession,oftensaddledwithsignificantdebt.Thiscreatesan environmentforburnouttoflourish.Lawyersfeelalackofcontrolovertheircareers, whetherit'snotworkingintheareatheyprefer,havingtochangegeographical locations,orworkinglonghours.Onthejob,theymayexperiencealackof communicationoreffectivefeedbackabouttheworktheydo.Feweropportunitiesfor lawfirmemploymentleadmoregraduatestoentersolopracticeimmediatelyafterlaw school,andtheyeitherhavetoofewclientsorareoverwhelmedbydemandingand challengingclients.
ANXIETYAnxiety'slikearockingchair.Itgivesyousomethingtodo,butitdoesn'tgetyouveryfar.–Jodi
Picoult,novelist
Bydefinition,anxietyandstressarecategorizedbyseparatefeelings.Thepressureweexperienceinourday-to-daylivesisassociatedwithfrustrationandnervousness,whereanxietyoftencomesfromaplaceoffear,unease,andworry.Still,despitethedifferences,manypeopleusethetermsinterchangeably.PsychologistHarrietLernerexplainswhywetendtolumptogethereachphrasepertainingtotheemotionalresponse: Ineverydayconversation,weusethelanguageofemotionsthatwe'recomfortablewith andthatfitsourpsychologicalcomplexion.I'veworkedwithclientswhodon'treport feelinganxiousorafraid.‘I'mincrediblystressedout...'istheirlanguageofchoice. ‘Stressed'isthecodewordfor‘totallyfreakedout'forpeoplewhoareallergicto identifyingandsharingtheirownvulnerability.Or,attheotherlinguisticextreme,a womanintherapytellsmethatshefeels‘sheerterror'atthethoughtthather daughter'sweddingdresswillnotfitherproperly.Iknowherwellenoughtotranslate
‘sheerterror'into‘really,really,worried.'Whateveryouremotionalvocabulary,noone signsupforanxiety,fear,andshame,orforanyproblematic,uncomfortableemotion. Butwecan'tavoidthesefeelings,either.Thecriticaldifferencebetweenstressandanxietyisthesenseofhelplessness."Whenitcomestostress,youcandealwiththingsandmasterthem.Byrollingupyoursleevesandtacklingthatstress,youcanfeellesshelpless.It'snotuncommonforsomeonewithananxietydisordertoalsosufferfromdepressionorviceversa.Nearlyone-halfofthosediagnosedwithdepressionarealsodiagnosedwithananxietydisorder.Womenaretwiceaslikelytobeaffectedasmen,andoneinfourwillsufferananxietydisorderatsomepointintheirlifetimes.Depressionandanxietydisordersaredifferent,butpeoplewithdepressionoftenexperiencesymptomssimilartothoseofananxietydisorder,suchasnervousness,irritability,andproblemssleepingandconcentrating.Buteachdisorderhasitsowncausesanditsownemotionalandbehavioralsymptoms.Anxietyandstressareoftenusedinterchangeably,eventhoughthey'retwodifferentexperiences.PsychologistMargaretWehrenberg,Ph.D.writes: Becausethenaturalresponsetoanxietyistotryandfigureoutwhattodo,youmay starttothinkoverallthepossiblereasonsyoucouldfeelworried,andyouwillinevitably findone.Whenyouaredepressed,yourbraingeneratestoomanynegativethoughts andcannoteffectivelyshovethemaside.Youcangetstuckinaloopofworryingone worryafteranother.However,becauserealproblemsarenotthereasonyouhavethe sensationofanxiety,youeitherthinkandrethinkinanefforttogetrelief,oryoumove ontoyetanotherworry.Thus,ruminationand‘serialworrying,'hallmarksofanxiety fueldepression.Whenpeoplesufferfromdepressiontheyoftenalsofeelanxietyandspendtoomuchtimeworrying,whichincreasestheirdepression.Thepartsoftheirbrainthatareinvolvedinthatnormalreactiontoambiguityareworkingovertime.Andthethinkingbrain,lowonenergyduetodepression,cannotstopthatworrytrain.Whentheyworrytoomuchandcan'texertenoughcontrol,thenthefeelingofanxietypersistsbeyondanysituationthatincludessomeuncertainty.Infact,theanxiousfeelingcanbepresentbeforeanyuncertainty.Thenitcreatesthenaggingsenseinyourgutthatsomethingiswrong,soyourhelpfulbrain,theonethatwantsanexplanationforeveryfeelingyouhave,goesonasearchtofigureoutwhatmightbethesourceofthatanxiety.AnxietyinFocusAccordingtotheNationalInstituteofMentalHealth,anxietydisordersarethemostcommonmentalillnessintheU.S.,affecting40millionadultsor18%oftheofthepopulation.Like
depression,therearemanytypesofanxietyincludinggeneralizedanxietydisorder,PTSD,panicdisorders,andobsessive-compulsivedisorder.Themostcommonisgeneralizedanxietydisorderwhichaffectsalmost7millionadultsor3%oftheU.S.population.Anxietydisordersarehighlytreatable,butonly37%ofthosesufferingseektreatment."Whatcanthenhappenisthatlookingforriskandproblemsmovesbeyondjustbeingajoboraprofessionandbecomesthewaythatlawyersapproachlife,”saysAlanLevin,whospent34yearsasalaborandemploymentlawyerbeforefoundingthe“CareforLawyers”therapypractice."Lawyerstendtoperceivefarhigherstakeswhentheyencounteradversity,Levinsays."It'slikecominghomewithfourA'sandaBandonlyfocusingontheB.Mistakesarenottoleratedwell.Plus,theatmosphereoflawoffersminimalsupportamidstthehighpressure,"contributingtoaprofoundsenseofisolationforlawyers.Asaresult,withoutadoubt,everylawyerIseehasanxietygreaterthantheaveragepopulation."TheABAHazeldenStudyfoundthat19%demonstratedsymptomsofanxiety.Thisequatestoalmost250,000ofthiscountry's1.3millionlawyers.Thestudyfoundthatyoungerattorneysinthefirsttenyearsofpracticeexhibitedthehighestincidence.Tobringthesenumbershome,thismeansthatmorethan791ofRhodeIsland's4167lawyersarecurrentlystrugglingwithsomeformofanxiety.Perpetual,unremittingstressisoftenaforerunnertothedevelopmentofclinicalanxiety."Ifstressischronic,repeatedchallengesmaydemandrepeatedburstsofvigilance,"warnsDr.RobertSapolsky,anexpertonstress-relatedillnessesandauthorofthebest-sellingbook,WhyZebrasDon'tGetUlcers:AnUpdatedGuidetoStress,Stress-RelatedDiseases,andCoping."Atsomepoint,vigilancebecomesover-generalized,leadingustoconcludethatwemustalwaysbeonguard–evenintheabsenceofstress.Andthus,therealmofanxietyisentered,"writesSapolsky.Aspreviouslyindicated,severaltypesofanxietydisordersexist.Themostcommonisgeneralizedanxietydisorderwhichincludespersistentandexcessiveanxietyandworryaboutactivitiesorevents—evenordinary,routineissues.Theworryisoutofproportiontotheactualcircumstance,isdifficulttocontrolandaffectshowyoufeelphysically.Thesefeelingsofanxietyandpanicinterferewithdailyactivities,aredifficulttocontrol,areoutofproportiontotheactualdangerandcanlastalongtime.Youmayavoidplacesorsituationstopreventthesefeelings.Factorsthatmayincreaseyourriskofdevelopingananxietydisorderincludechildhoodtrauma,stressbuildup,personality,bloodrelationswithananxietydisorder,anddrugandalcoholuse.Commonanxietysignsandsymptomsinclude:
• Feelingnervous,restlessortense• Havingasenseofimpendingdanger,panicordoom• Havinganincreasedheartrate
• Breathingrapidly(hyperventilation)• Sweating• Trembling• Feelingweakortired• Troubleconcentratingorthinkingaboutanythingotherthanthepresentworry• Havingtroublesleeping• Experiencinggastrointestinal(GI)problems• Havingdifficultycontrollingworry• Havingtheurgetoavoidthingsthattriggeranxiety
Tofindoutwhetheryouhaveclinicalanxiety,youmustbediagnosedbyaphysicianoramentalhealthexpert.Likeallmooddisorders,thereisacontinuumofseverityfrommildtosevere.Mildanxietyisthesimpleapprehensionthatwefeelwhenweareborderlineexcitedandworriedaboutanupcomingevent.Youmightbestressed,butyoucanthinkclearlyandcanfocusonlookingforasolutiontoaproblemthatyouhaveathand.Itcanmotivateyou,andwhentheperceivedthreatdisappears,thatmildanxietyalsogoesveryquickly.Symptomsincludefidgeting,sweatypalms,andheightenedsensitivity.Moderateandsevereanxietyisabitmoreintenseandwillmostlikelystressyouout.Thislevelwillmakeyoufocusonlyonthesituationthatyouarein.Youwillstartgettingmoreagitatedandtalkfasterwithahigher-pitchedvoicethanusual.Butwhyyouarepastthatsituation,yourfeelingsofanxietywillsubsidegradually.Withsevereanxiety,yourfocuswillalsobeonthesituation,butthestresslevelsyoufeelarehigherthanatthemildlevel.Symptomsofnormal,regularanxietybecomemoreintense.Thereisincreasedheartrate,possiblechestpain,senseofdread,andevendiarrhea.Althoughresponsive,youwillbeatalossastowhattodo,andyoumayalsobeunabletotakecareofyourself.Twocharactertraits—perfectionismandpessimism—areprevalentamonglawyersandmaymakethempronetoanxiety.Perfectionismhelpslawyerssucceedinpracticebecausetheprofessionisexcessivelydetail-oriented.Takentotheextreme,perfectionismtransformsintoafeelingthatnothingisgoodenough.Attorneysdevelopanoverdevelopedsenseofcontrol,soifthingsdon'tgoasplanned,theyblamethemselves.Theythinktheydidn'tworkhardenoughortheywerecareless.Paidworriers,lawyersareexpectedtopredictthefuture,toanticipatethreatsandguardagainstanythingthatcouldarise.So,theylearntoseeproblemseverywhere,evenwhentheydon'texist.Andtheystarttoperceivethreatsasifthey'relife-or-deathmatters.That'stheverydefinitionofanxiety.
DEPRESSION
Theoppositeofdepressionisnothappiness,butvitality–theabilitytoexperienceafullrangeofemotions,includinghappiness,excitement,sadness,andgrief.Depressionisnotanemotion
itself;it'sthelossoffeelings;abigheavyblanketthatinsulatesyoufromtheworldyethurtsatthesametime.It'snotsadnessorgrief;it'sanillness.RichardO'Connor,"UndoingDepression"TheABAHazeldenStudyfoundthat28%ofthelawyerspolledreportedsomeproblemwithdepression.That'samuchhigherratethanthatfoundinthegeneralpopulation.Thatmeansifyousurveyedeveryoneofthe1.3millionattorneysintheU.S.,almost365,000wouldreportsymptomsassociatedwithclinicaldepression.Tobringthesenumbershome,ofthe4167practicinginRhodeIsland,thatmeansthatover1166arestrugglingwithsomeformofdepressionrightnow.Manylawyerswhostrugglewithdepressioncontinuetoworkhopingthatthey'llgetbetter,butfearingtheymightnot.ManyofthoseI'vecometoknowovertheyearsarethe"walkingwounded."Theykeepgoinguntiltheyfalldownbecauseofjobloss,addiction,grievance,malpractice,orsuspensionordisbarment.Apsychologistwhotreatsahighnumberoflawyers,Dr.O’Connorwrites: It'shardforattorneystogethelpwiththeirdepression.Theytendnottorecognizeitas such;theythinkit'sstress,orburn-out,orlife.Theydon'texpectthatanyoneisgoingto beabletohelp.Mostofmyattorney-patientshavecontactedmebecausetheir relationshipsarefallingapart,buttheydon'tseethatit'sdepressionthatmakesthem suchalousypartner–tense,irritable,critical,joyless,tiredallofthetime,relyingon alcoholorotherdrugs.Ifthey'dgottenhelpforthedepressionacoupleofyears previously,theirspousewouldn'tbemovingoutnow.Thetruthaboutdepressionisthat itnotonlymakesyoufeelhorrible,butitalsowrecksyourlife. It'scommontofeeldownfromtimetotime,butdepressionisaseparateconditionthatshouldbetreatedwithcare.Asidefromcausingageneralfeelingofsadness,depressionisknownforgeneratingfeelingsofhopelessnessthatdon'tseemtogoaway.DepressioninFocusTheterm"depression"hasbecomecommoninmainstreamsociety.Butdepressionisamorenuancedsubjectthanpopularusagemaysuggest.Forone,notallcasesofdepressionaretheAccordingtotheWorldHealthOrganization,majordepressionisacommonillnessworldwide,withmorethan300millionpeopleaffected.In2015,anestimated16.1millionadultsaged18orolderintheUnitedStateshadatleastonemajordepressiveepisodeinthepastyear.Thisnumberrepresented6.7%ofallU.S.adults.Depressionisalsotheleadingcauseofdisabilityinthiscountry.
Whilemajordepressivedisordercandevelopatanyage,themedianageis32.5andmostprevalentinpeopleages45-64.Thelifetimeriskfordepressionisabout17%.Morethan30,000suicidestakeplaceintheU.S.peryear.Depressionisthoughttobeinvolvedinhalfofallsuicides,andupto15%ofpeoplewithdepressionwilldiebysuicide.Mencommitsuicidemoreoftenthanwomen.Itisthoughtthisisduetothemethodmenuseforsuicide,whichofteninvolvesfirearms.AccordingtotheCenterforDiseaseControl,lawyersrank4thindeathsbyprofessioncomparedtosuicideinallotheroccupations.Theycomerightbehinddentists,pharmacist,andphysicians.Therearevaryingclassificationsofdepression,andeachcanaffectyourlife.Depressionisacatch-alltermthatencompassesavarietyofsymptoms.Theseverityofdepressionisprimarilydictatedbythenumberofsymptomsthepersonexperiencesandtheeffectthesehaveontheperson'sabilitytofunction.Tobeformallydiagnosedwithdepressionatleastoneofapossibletwocoresymptomsmustbeseen.Thefirstoftheseisapersistentlowmoodandfeelingsofsadness,withorwithoutweepiness.Thesecondismotivational,specificallyamarkedlackofinterestinpreviouslypleasurableactivities.Clusteredaroundthesetwocoresymptomsareafurthersevenrelatedsymptomsrelatingto:
• Sleeppatterndisturbances.• Changeinappetite.• Tiredness.• Sluggishmovementsoragitation.• Difficultyinconcentratingorsolvingsimpleeverydayproblems.• Feelingsofguiltand/orworthless.• Clinicaldepressioncanbemild,moderate,severe.
Inmilddepressiononeofthecoresymptomsmustbepresentandusuallynomorethanfourrelatedsymptoms.Althoughdaytodayfunctioningmayfeelastruggle,itisrarelyaffectedinanysignificantfashion.Peoplewithmilddepressioncangetbywithoutmedicationandmaywellfindtheirsymptomsbegintosubsidewithouttreatmentovertime.Symptomsmustlastfourdaysaweekfortwoyears.Thisconditionisalsoreferredtoasdysthymia.Thoughmilddepressionisnoticeable,it'sthemostdifficulttodiagnose.It'seasytodismissthesymptomsandavoiddiscussingthemwithyourdoctor.Despitethechallengesindiagnosis,milddepressionistheeasiesttotreat.Specificlifestylechangescangoalongwayinboostingserotoninlevelsinthebrain,whichcanhelpfightdepressivesymptoms.
Adiagnosisofmoderatedepressionwouldsuggestthatbothcoresymptomsarepresentaswellasfourormorerelatedsymptoms.Withthislevelofdepression,thereisafarhigherchancethatdailyworkandsocialactivitiesareaffected.Theabilitytoconcentrateandsolveproblemsbecomessignificantlyimpaired.Peoplewithmoderatedepressionoftenexhibitbehaviorthatshowsthewaytheyfeel.Forexample,personalcaremaybeneglected.Thepersonoftenmovesinasluggish,heavyfashion,withshoulderbentandheaddown.Facialcharacteristicsofthepersonarethoseassociatedwithmisery;frowning,downturnedmouth,saddistance-gazingeyes,anddrawnexpression.Unfortunately,somepeopleareadeptatmaskingtheirfeelingswhichactstodelaymuch-neededtreatment.Symptomsofmoderatedepressionpointtothelikelihoodthatantidepressantmedication,withorwithoutpsychologicaltreatment,willbeadvised.Regardingsymptomaticseverity,moderatedepressionisthenextlevelupfrommildcases.Moderateandmilddepressionsharesimilarsymptoms.Themostsignificantdifferenceisthatthesymptomsofmoderatedepressionaresevereenoughtocauseproblemsathomeandwork.Youmayalsofindsubstantialdifficultiesinyoursociallife.Severedepressionisalmostsuretoincludebothcoresymptomsandmostifnotalltherelatedsymptoms.Dailyfunctioningceasesbeyondthemostrudimentaryactivities.Sometimesthepersonmayexperiencepsychoticfeaturesintheformofdelusionsorhallucinations.Typically,theseareconsistentwiththemesofdepressioninvolvingdeath,disease,guilt,orsomesenseofdeservedpunishment.Treatmentisalmostsuretoincludeantidepressantmedicationanddependingonthedepthandseveritymayrequirehospitaladmission.Severe(major)depressionisclassifiedashavingthesymptomsofmildtomoderatedepression,butthesymptomsaresevereandnoticeable,eventoyourlovedones.Episodesofmajordepressionlastanaverageofsixmonthsorlonger.Sometimesseveredepressioncangoawayafterawhile,butitcanalsoberecurrentforsomepeople.Theseverity,frequency,anddurationofthesymptomswillvarydependingontheindividualandhisorherparticularillness.Althoughdepressionmayoccuronlyonetimeduringyourlife,usuallypeoplehavemultipleepisodesofdepression.Duringtheseepisodes,symptomsoccurmostoftheday,nearlyeveryday.Majordepressionisnottheonlytypeofdepression.Thereisalsobipolardisorder,dysthymia("milddepression),seasonalaffectivedisorder,andpostpartumdepression,tonameafew.Depressionhasmanycauses:Agenetichistoryofdepressioninone'sfamily,hormoneimbalances,andbiologicaldifferences,amongothers.Certainpersonalitytraits,suchaslowself-esteem,apessimisticoutlook,chronicstressatworkorhome,childhoodtrauma,drugoralcoholabuseandotherriskfactorsincreasethelikelihoodofdevelopingortriggeringdepression.
Sadly,manypeoplenevergetanyhelpfortheirdepression,eventhough70%to80%ofsufferers'experiencerelieffromtheirsymptomswithtreatment.Onetriallawyerwrotetome: Overtime,maintainingthissecretidentitywhiledealingwiththecommonstrainsof trialpracticegaverisetoagrowingdepression.Istillperformedatahighlevelandgot goodresults.AlthoughIhadaclosefriendatthefirm,anotherpartner,hewoulddeflect whenItriedtotalktohimaboutmydepression,soIstopped.Ibegantoworrythat othersatthefirmmightknowaboutme.Fearandthesenseofisolationonlyfedupon themselvesinacontinuouscycle.Ifinallyexperiencedasevereepisodeofdepression thatledtoaperiodofdisability.WhenItoldmyboss,whatwasgoingon,heexpressed genuinesurprisethatIwassufferingfromdepressionatall. WhenIreturnedtowork,Ifeltbetter,butIremainedwary.Insteadofengagingina conversationaboutwhathadhappened,weallactedasthoughnothinghadoccurred. Thecomputerwasrebooted,andbusinesscontinuedasusual.Iwentbackundercover, andnooneseemedtomind.CausesofHighDepressionRatesAmongstLawyersIamoftenaskedwhethergoingtolawschoolandbecomingalawyer"causes"anxietyanddepression.Aswithallmentalhealthconditions,it'smorehelpfultotalkaboutriskfactorsthancausesbecauseweoftendon'tknowexactlywhatcausestheseafflictions.Itisusuallyacombinationofmanythings.It'simportanttostressthatlawyersbringintothelawtheirownuniquegeneticmakeupandfamilyhistory.Thenationalrateinthegeneralpopulationfordepressionisabout10%.Thatmeansthat10%comingintothelawmightreasonablybeexpectedtohavesomelevelofdepression.Butthentheratejumpsto28%accordingtotheABAHazeldenStudy.Assuch,whatexplainswhytheratetriples?Iguessthatsomeofthepeoplewhobecomelawyershadpre-existingnon-lawrelatedriskfactorsandthatsomethingaboutthepracticeoflawtippedtheapplecartandledtodepression.Inlightthestatisticsonthepoorstateofmentalhealthinthelegalprofession,Ibelievetherecanbelittledisputethatbecomingalawyerisariskfactorforanxietyanddepression.Whiletherearemanyrisksfactorstoexplainthehighratesofpoormentalhealthinthelaw,Iwillfocusonthreehere.Factorsinthelegalprofessionincreasetheriskofdepressionareifapersonhasapre-existingvulnerabilityforbywayof,forexample,genetics,personality,ortroubledchildhoodbefore
enteringthelaw.Followingenteringthelaw,otherimportantfactorsincludeapessimisticexplanatorystyle,lawyerpersonality,andchronicstress.Thesemaycombinewithapre-existingvulnerabilitytocreatea"perfectstorm"fordepressiontodevelopandovertakeaperson.
1. Pessimism
It'snormalforallofustogetpessimisticsometimes.Maybewehavehadsomelossesinourlifethatmakeusfeelthataneventinthefuturewecareaboutisn'tgoingtopanout.Mostpeopletendtobebothoptimisticandpessimistic,dependingonthesituation.Whentalkingaboutpessimismasitrelatestodepression,however,we'retalkingapplesandoranges.Inthemindofsomeonewithdepression,negativethinkingtakesupresidenceanddoesn'tleave.Psychologist,HaraEstroffMaranodescribesitthisway: Oneofthefeaturesofdepressionispessimisticthinking.Thenegativethinkingis actuallythedepressionspeaking.It'swhatdepressionsoundslike.Depression,infact, manifestsinnegativethinkingbeforeitcreatesanadverseeffect.Mostdepressed peoplearenotawarethatthedespairandhopelessnesstheyfeelareflowingfromtheir negativethoughts.Thoughtsaremistakenlyseenasprivileged,occupyingararefied territory,immunetobeingaffectedbymoodandfeelings,andthereforerepresenting someimmutabletruth.Afterpracticinglawforalmost30years,Icanlookbackandhonestlysaythatsomeofthemostwonderfulpeopleandfriendsofminehavebeenlawyers.Butit'salsotruetosaythatmanyaregrumpybecausetheyhavedealtwithtoomanyboilingpotsonthekitchenstovefortoolong.Butmanyweren'twhatIcall"depressed."Manyhadacquiredjaggedpearlsofwisdomandhadawickedsenseofhumor.AndsomewerewhatIwoulddescribeaspessimists,butnotstrugglingwithamentalhealthproblem.ButalmosteverylawyerImet,includingmyself,whostruggledwithdepressionhadapessimisticwayoflookingatthemselvesandtheworld.Andmanyofthemweresuccessfulattheircraft.AccordingtoDr.MartinSeligman,whowroteabookwithachapter"WhyLawyersAreSoUnhappy,"pessimisminthelawhastodowithaparticulartypeofnegativethinking: Onefactorisapessimisticoutlookdefinednotinthecolloquialsense(seeingtheglass ashalfempty)butratherasthepessimisticexplanatorystyle.Thesepessimiststendto attributethecausesofnegativeeventsasstableandglobalfactors("It'sgoingtolast forever,andit'sgoingtoundermineeverything.")Thepessimistviewsbadeventsas pervasive,permanent,anduncontrollablewhiletheoptimistseesthemaslocal, temporaryandchangeable.Pessimismismaladaptiveinmostendeavors.
Butthereisoneglaringexception:Pessimistsdobetteratlaw.Pessimismisseenasa plusamonglawyersbecauseseeingtroublesaspervasiveandpermanentisa componentofwhatthelawprofessiondeemsprudent.Aprudentperspectiveenablesa goodlawyertoseeeveryconceivablesnareandcatastrophethatmightoccurinany transaction.Theabilitytoanticipatethewholerangeofproblemsandbetrayalsthat non-lawyersareblindtoishighlyadaptiveforthepracticinglawyerwhocan,byso doing,helphisclientsdefendagainstthesefar-fetchedeventualities.Ifyoudon'thave thisprudencetobeginwith,thenlawschoolwillseektoteachittoyou.Unfortunately, though,atraitthatmakesyougoodatyourprofessiondoesnotalwaysmakeyoua happyhumanbeing.MyownexperiencewithpessimismasalawyerwasthatIwasoftensuspiciousofotherpeople'smotives.Beforeenteringthelaw,Iwasnotthisway.Iwasprettytrusting.Onecouldalmostsaynaïve.ButallthatchangedafterIhadafewyearsofpracticinglawundermybelt.Iwasalwayswaitingforthenextshoetodrop:aclientcallingmetotellmeofsomefactsthatcompletelychangedthecourseofacasefortheworse,anopposingcounselthatIdiscoveredhadbeenhidingdiscoverydocumentsfromme,walkinginacourtroomfortrialandseeingthelookofunfriendlyjurors'facesasIwalkedtomytable.Walkingintoadepositionortrialcourtroom,mybrainwasalwaysscanningtheroomfortroublesothatIcoulddefendmyselfandmyclient.
2. LawyerPersonalityIwasambitiousinmostareasofmylifebeforethelaw.MyWWIIgenerationparentstaughtmetoworkhardatwhateverIdid.Inhighschoolandcollege,Istrivedtobemybest.Iwasself-motivatedandaimedtobea"winner."Iwouldn'tsayIwasaclassic"TypeA"personalityineveryareaofmylife,butIapparentlyhadsomeofthatinmethatledtolawschool.Dr.TygerLatham,apsychologistinWashington,D.C.whotreatsmanylawyerswithdepression,writes: I'vecometorecognizesomecommoncharacteristicsamongstthoseintheprofession. Most,frommyexperience,tendtobe"TypeA's"(i.e.,highlyambitiousand overachievingindividuals).Theyalsotendtowardperfectionism,notjustintheir professionalpursuitsbutnearlyeveryaspectoftheirlives.Whilethischaracteristicis notuniquetothelegalprofession–norisitnecessarilyabadthing–whenrigidly applied,itcanbeproblematic.Thepropensityofmanylawstudentsandattorneystobe perfectionisticcansometimesimpedetheirabilitytobeflexibleandaccommodating, qualitiesthatareimportantinsomanynon-legaldomains.Accordingtoformerlawyerturnedtherapist,GayleVictor,twocharactertraits-perfectionismandpessimism-areprevalentamonglawyerspronetoanxiety."Perfectionismhelpslawyerssucceedinpracticebecausetheprofessionissoexcessivelydetail-oriented,"shesays.
"Researchsuggeststhatpeoplewhoareperfectionists,creatingunrealisticgoalsforthemselves,maybevulnerabletodepression."
3. ChronicStressLawyerslivesarestressfulforsomanyreasons.Someofithastodowiththefactthatlawofteninvolves“winners”and“losers”:azero-sumgame.Theothercomponentisthatlawyersfrequentlythattheyhavelittlecontrolovertheirlives.ThiscandriveaTypeApersonalitywhocravescontrolcrazy.Anotherreasonforlawyerstresshastodowiththefactthatthebattlestheyengageinareongoing.Theyareneverreallyfinishedwithconflict.Asonetoughcasesettles,aroundroundofcontentiousdepositionsissoontobegin.Assuch,theycarrythe"war"intheirheadswiththematalltimes.LawyerturnedprofessorStephenFeldmansummeduphisexperiencelikethis: Lawwasatoughthingtogetupinthemorningtodo.Iusedtowakeupandthink, ‘Maybeit'sWorldWarIII,andIwon'thavetogototheoffice.Maybeeverythingwillbe calledofftoday.Practicinglawistheonlyprofessionwhosejobitistoprovethatyou arewrong.Adoctordoesnotordinarilyfaceaseconddoctorobjectingtowhatheor shedoes.Noopposingpreacheristheretoargueforthedevil.Theadversarysystem meansthereislittlemarginforerror,asopposingcounsellurks,waitingtopounceon anymistake.Alongwiththewinningandlosingcomesconflict.Thelawyer'sprofessional lifeisfilledwithdispute,confrontation,andoccasionallyrealhatred.Itisrarethata casewillbepleasant;evenadoptionscanhavesnags.Afterspendingtwenty-fiveyearstryinghigh-endpersonalinjurycases,lawyerHarveyHymanfellintoadeepdepression.Followinghisrecoveryanddeparturefromthelaw,hewrote: Lawyersdon'twanttoappearignorantorequivocalforfearofscaringoffclientsor signalingweaknesstotheiropponentsinlitigation.Theywanttobeperceivedas knowledgeable,decisiveandincontrolatalltimes.Thismaskofuncertaintyhides doubt,worry,andfear.Noneofusknowstheanswertothemyriadofquestionsthat keeppoppingup.Noneofuscanbesureourchoicesofstrategyandtacticswillwork. Allofusfearlosingcasesandlosingface.Sometimesdisplaysofangerarenothingbut anefforttosavefaceaftersomeonehasmadeusfeelfoolish.Alltoooften,lawyersdon'thaveanyonetosharethesefearswith.So,theystuffthemdowndeepwithinthemselves."Wholistenstotheirfears?"writesHyman."Whoencouragesthemtolettheirangeroutprivately?Whoholdsthemtogether?Forthemostpart,nobodydoes.Theytendtobeallalone.Thisisasubstantialpartoftheproblem."
SOMESOLUTIONS
Justastherearemanydifferenttypesandriskfactorsfortoxicstress,anxiety,burnout,addictionanddepressioninthelaw,therearemanysolutions.WhatIhavediscoveredovertheyears,isthatthereisrarelyONEsolution,butmany.Torecoverandbehealthy,lawyersneedtofigureoutpracticalandrealisticwaystogethelpandhelpthemselves.Foreach,theemphasisonwhatworkswillbedifferent.Forthosewithtoomuchstressandmilderformsofanxietyanddepression,lifestylechangesandtherapymightworkbest.Forthosewithburnout,whichisoftenspecifictoaparticularworkplaceorpracticearea,theymayneedtoleavetheirfirmorgointoanothertypeoflaw.Forthosewithmoreseveredepression,itwilllikelyincludesomeformofmedicationandintensivetherapy.Thatbeingsaid,herearejustafewideasyoucanincorporateintoyourlifetohelpyourecoverandmakeyouhappierandhealthierlawyer.
1. Exercise
Weallknowthatexerciseisgoodforourbodiesandbrains.Weallshouldexercise.However,Ibelieve,thisacriticalpartofrecoveryandstayingwellforlawyerswhostrugglewithtoxicstresslevels,burnout,anxiety,ordepression.Ourbodiesarebuiltformovementandlawyersoftenspendlittletimedoingthatwhenstuckbehindtheirdesktappingonacomputerkeyboard.Overtheyearsofcopingwiththeemotionalpitfallsofbeingalawyer,Ihavebenefitedfromyoga,walking,andacupuncture.Sometimes,however,theonlythingthatwillbreakthestrangleholdofstress,anxiety,ordepressionformeisverystrenuousexercise:jackingupmyheartrate,sweating,andbreathingheaving.Whenyouhavedepressionoranxiety,exerciseoftenseemslikethelastthingyouwanttodo.Butonceyougetmotivated,exercisecanmakeabigdifference.Exercisehelpspreventandimprovemanyhealthproblems,includinghighbloodpressure,diabetes,andarthritis.Researchondepression,anxiety,andexerciseshowsthatthepsychologicalandphysicalbenefitsofexercisecanalsohelpimprovemoodandreduceanxiety.Regularexercisemayhelpeasedepressionandanxietyby:
• Releasingfeel-goodendorphins,naturalcannabis-likebrainchemicalsandothernaturalbrainchemicalsthatcanenhanceyoursenseofwell-being.
• Takingyourmindoffyourworriessoyoucangetawayfromthecycleofnegativethoughtsthatfeeddepressionandanxiety.
Regularexercisehasmanypsychologicalandemotionalbenefits,too.Itcanhelpyou:
• Gainconfidence.Meetingexercisegoalsorchallenges,evensmallones,canboostyourself-confidence.Gettinginshapecanalsomakeyoufeelbetteraboutyourappearance.
• Getmoresocialinteraction.Exerciseandphysicalactivitymaygiveyouthechancetomeetorsocializewithothers.Justchangingafriendlysmileorgreetingasyouwalkaroundyourneighborhoodcanhelpimproveyourmood.
• Copeinahealthyway.Doingsomethingpositivetomanagedepressionandanxietyisahealthycopingstrategy.Tryingtofeelbetterbydrinkingalcohol,takingdrugs,orovereating,dwellingonhowyoufeel,orhopingdepressionoranxietywillgoawayontheirowncanleadtoworseningsymptoms.
Dr.JohnRatey,aprofessorofpsychiatryatHarvardMedicalSchool,writesresearchsuggeststhatburningoff350caloriesthreetimesaweek(30minutesontheStairmasterforme)throughsustained,sweat-inducingactivitycanreducesymptomsofdepressionaboutaseffectivelyasantidepressants.Thatmaybebecauseexerciseappearstostimulatethegrowthofneuronsinspecificbrainregionsdamagedbydepression."Whenyou'reexercising,yourbrainisusuallynotwhat'sonyourmind,"writesRatey."Butthatactivityisbuildingyourgraymatterinmyriadways,makingyoumorealert,creative,motivatedandperceptive.It'shelpingyoulearnbetter,remembermore,andcombatstress.It'sboostingyourmoodwhilehelpingyouovercomeanxietyanddepression."Sometheorizethatdepressioniscausedatleastinpartbydepletedlevelsofacategoryofneurotransmitterscalledmonoamines,whichincludeserotonin,norepinephrine,anddopamine—allofwhicharemagnifiedbyexercise."GoingforarunisliketakingalittlebitofProzacandalittlebitofRitalinbecause,likethedrugs,exerciseelevatestheseneurotransmitters,"saysRatey.Intheprocess,exercisehelpsourbrainsbalancehormones.Rateybelievesthat,alongwithalleviatingdepression,thisharmonizingofourhormonesalsoinoculatesusagainsttoxicstressandeasesanxiety."Keepingyourbraininbalancecanchangeyourlife,"hesays.AccordingtoresearchconductedthroughPrincetonUniversity,gettingyourbodymovinghelpsreorganizethebrainsoithasareducedresponsetostressandisbetterabletoregulatefeelingsofanxiety.Thosewhoareregularlyactivearebetterabletocontrolfeelingsofdistressandpanicwhenputintostressfulsituations.Thestudyalsofoundthatthebrainsofthosewhoaresedentarybehavedifferentlyunderstressandaren'tabletofunctionaswell.Exercisehasothereffectsonmood,aswell.Justasourmusclesdemandmoreenergyduringexercise,ourbrainsgobbleupglucose.Ina2016studypublishedintheJournalofNeuroscience,UniversityofCalifornia,Davis,researchersdiscoveredwhatthebrainwasdoingwithallthatfuel:makingmoreneurotransmitters.MRIscansfoundthatlevelsofglutamateandgamma-aminobutyricacid(GABA)swelledinparticipantsafterastationary-bikesession.Thismayaidintempering
depression,accordingtoleadresearcherRichardMaddock,MD,MS,becausethestoresofglutamatewerecenteredinregionsofthebrainwheretheneurotransmitterhadbeendepletedindepressedindividuals.Doing30minutesormoreofexerciseadayforthreetofivedaysaweekmaysignificantlyimprovedepressionoranxietysymptoms.Butsmalleramountsofphysicalactivity—aslittleas10to15minutesatatime—maymakeadifference.Itmaytakelesstimeexercisingtoimproveyourmoodwhenyoudomore-vigorousactivities,suchasrunningorbicycling.Startingandstickingwithanexerciseroutineorregularphysicalactivitycanbeachallenge.Thesestepscanhelp:
ü Keepyourgymbaginyourcaratalltimes.Thissimplehabithelpedmeenormously.ü Joinagym.WhenItriedtoworkoutathome,Ifoundtoomanydistractionsincluding
foodinthefridge,TV,hoppingaroundonsocialmedia,ortextingandreturningemailsonmycellphone.Forme,IhadtogotoagymwhereIhadfewerexcusesnottoworkout.
ü Hireatrainer.TokickstartmyexercisehabitifIhadfallenoffthewagon,Ihavesometimeshiredapersonaltrainerforafewmonths.Ifoundthishelpedwithaccountabilityandmotivation.Iparticularlylikedthatthetrainersshowedmethecorrecttechniquesforliftingweights.
ü Whereasmartwatchandtrackyourexercise.IwearaFitbit,anditencouragesmetomeeta10,000stepsgoal.IalsofeelbetterattheendofthedayifIexerciseandrealizethatI'veburnedupmorecaloriesthanusual.
ü Haveanexercisebuddy.Thisisacheaperwaytobuildinaccountabilitytoyourworkoutroutinethanhiringatrainer.
ü Identifywhatyouenjoydoing.Figureoutwhattypeofphysicalactivitiesyou'remostlikelytodo,andthinkaboutwhenandhowyou'dbemostlikelytofollowthrough.Forinstance,wouldyoubemorelikelytodosomegardeningintheevening,startyourdaywithajog,orgoforabikerideorplaybasketballwithyourchildrenafterschool?Dowhatyouenjoytohelpyoustickwithit.
ü Setreasonablegoals.Yourmissiondoesn'thavetobewalkingforanhourfivedaysaweek.Thinkrealisticallyaboutwhatyoumaybeabletodoandbegingradually.Tailoryourplantoyourownneedsandabilitiesratherthansettingunrealisticguidelinesthatyou'reunlikelytomeet.
ü Don'tthinkofexerciseorphysicalactivityasachore.Ifexerciseisjustanother"should"inyourlifethatyoudon'tbelieveyouarelivingupto,you'llassociateitwithfailure.Instead,lookatyourexerciseorphysicalactivityschedulethesamewayyoulookatyourtherapysessionsormedication—asoneofthetoolstohelpyougetbetter.
ü Analyzeyourbarriers.Figureoutwhat'sstoppingyoufrombeingphysicallyactiveorexercising.Forme,onehurdleIstruggledwithwasfiguringoutatimetoworkout.IdiscoveredthatIwasn'tabletosustainabeforeworkroutine,nomatterhowhardItriedandhowmanytimesIheardthatitwas"goodforme."Thebesttimeformewaseitherlunchtime.Iwouldthrowdownahighproteinmealreplacementshakeandtothe
gym.IfIcouldn't,thenextbesttimewasonthewayhomefromworkbeforeIhaddinner.IwouldeataproteinbarbeforetheworkouttomakesureIhadsomethinginmystomach.Ifyouthinkaboutwhat'sstoppingyoufrombeingphysicallyactiveorexercising,youcanprobablyfindanalternativesolution.
ü Prepareforsetbacksandobstacles.Giveyourselfcreditforeverystepintherightdirection,nomatterhowsmall.Ifyouskipexerciseoneday,thatdoesn'tmeanyoucan'tmaintainanexerciseroutineandmightaswellquit.Justtrythenextdayagain.Stickwithit.
2. ChallengeYourNegativeThinking
Muchofourthoughtsoccurautomatically,whichisagoodthing,aswedon'tgenerallyhavetoworktoohardtododailyorroutinetaskslikegettingup,gettingdressed,eatingbreakfast,gettingtowork,etc.And,itcanbeabadthing,becausetheyaresohabitualandautomaticthatwedon'tusuallypaymuchattentiontothem.Ifyouthinkbacktothelasttimeyougotannoyedoranxious,canyourememberwhatitwasthatyouwerethinking?Ittakespracticetotryandfocusonwhatthoughtsweregoingthroughyourmind?However,likemostthings,ifyouknowwhatyouarelookingfor,thenitiseasiertospot,andyoucanrecognizeyourthoughtpatternsmoreeasily.Forexample,youmighthavebeenrespondingtosomeonewhohaddonesomethingthatyouperceivedofasunfair.Acommonenoughexampleoccurswhiledriving,andsomeonecutsinfrontofyou.Itmighthavetriggeredaresponsealongthelinesof;“Whydoesthisalwayshappentome?”“Howdarethey,theyshouldnothavedonethat,peoplethatdriveredcarsareuselessdrivers.”“Thistopsmyday,it'sbeenawfulandnowthis,Ican'tevendrivehomeinpeace,whatawasteofspaceIam…”Now,ifyoucanrecognizethesethoughtsandchallengethem,thenyoumightlaughatyourselfandsay,Oh,getagrip,itwashimbeinganidiot.Ithasnothingtodowithme,andit'sforgotten.However,ifyoudon'trecognize,orchallenge,youmightbeleftfeelingangryandannoyed,andthenextpersonwhocomesalonganddoessomethingtoannoyyou.Well,heavenhelpthem!Negativeautomaticthoughts(NATs),areastreamofideasthatwecannoticeifwepayattentiontothem.Theyarenegativelyframedinterpretationsofwhatwethinkishappeningtous.Andtheyusuallyhaveanimpactonourmoodandourfeelings,thatisn'tpositive.NATscanleadtoself-doubt,depression,anxiety,anger,irritabilityandlowmood.Theyarenotthathelpful,orusefulandyetweallhavethem.Thedifferencebetweenwhetherweacceptthemandbelievethem,orignoreorchallengethemoracceptthem,willinfluencehowmentallyhealthyandhappyourliveswillbe.
Sohowcanyouidentifyyournegativeautomaticthoughts?
ü Theyarealwaysnegative."Ijustmissedthatturnonthemotorway.Therefore,Iamuseless;Iwillnevergetthereontime,Iamalwaysmessingup,Ineverdoanythingright,theywillthinkIamanidiot.Shedidn'tcallmeback.I'mnotworthbotheringabout.No-onelikesmeanyway.Andsoon.
ü Theymakeyoufeelbadaboutyourself."I'msuchafailure;Iamuseless,Ineverdo
anythingright,no-onelikesme,I'mtoofat,tooold,toounfit,etc.".Andtheymakeyoufeelbadaboutyourlifeingeneral."Mylifeisuseless,hopeless."
ü Theyareself-sabotagingandtendtostopyouhelpingyourself.IfIdothat,Iambound
tofail,sowhat'sthepoint?Theyinviteapathyandcreatetheirownself-fulfillingbeliefs.IfIbelieveIamgoingtofail,thechancesareIprobablywill.
ü Theyareuninvited.Likearudegatecrasherwhothinksyouneedtobetoldwhata
loseryouare,andtheycanbeharshlycritical“You'llneveramounttoanything”“Youaresoselfish”“Youareashowoff.”Youareconstantlymoaning,“nowonderyouhavenofriends.”
ü Theyarebelievable.Itseemstobemoreplausibletothinknegativelyofyourselfthan
positively.Totellyourselfthat‘Youarenotthatgreat,you'rejustnotthatclever,'‘Youaregullible,peopleseeyoucoming,theyalwaystakeadvantageofyou,youareapoorjudgeofcharacter'or‘Youarealwaysmakingmistakes.Therefore,youaretheclumsiestmostuselessimpracticalperson"–seemsacceptableandfairenoughtoaccepttheseadmonishmentsastruths.Believingthatyouarenotgoodenoughseemstobeeasiertothinkthatyouaregoodenough.
ü Theyarebiased.And,althoughtheyseemtobeacceptable,theyarelikelytobe
distortedorwrong.Justbecauseyoudidn'tdowellatonething,doesn'tmeanthatyouneverdowellatanything.Theymaybereinforcedbyhowyoufeel,orwhathashappenedtoyou,i.e.,afteraspecificevent,sayjustbeingmaderedundantandthinkingyouwillnevergetanotherjob;butignoremanyotherfacts,forexample,thatyouhavemanagedtogetjobsinthepast,andyounowhave15years'experienceinaparticularfield.
StylesofNegativeThinkingThefollowingstylesofnegativethinking,orcognitivedistortions,havebeenrecognizedasthecommonestoftheNATs–Doyourecognizeanyofthem?Allornothing/blackorwhitethinking
• IfIdon'tdoitperfectly,thenI'mrubbish
• IfIamnotaperfectmother/father/daughter/son–thenI'museless• IfIdon'tdowellineveryareaofmyjob,Iamhopeless• IfIdon'tgetonwitheveryone,noonelikesme• Ifmypartnerisannoyedwithme,theymusthateme• IfIdon'twinthecase,Imustbealoser
Overcontrolandperfectionism
• UnlessIdoeverythingperfectlylifeisintolerable• Ifmyofficeisnotperfectlyclean,itisapigsty• IfIdon'ttakecareovermyappearance,thenIamamess,andIcan'tgoout• IfIallowpaperworktopileup,Iwillbeoutofcontrol
Magicalthinkingorfortunetelling.
• Mythoughtsaresopowerful,justbythinkingaboutit,somethingterriblewillhappen• Iknowexactlywhatsheisthinking….• IpredictthatifIsaysomethingaboutthistoher,shewillfindmeunacceptable• IfIdon'tpleaseeveryone,theywillhateme/bedisappointedinme
Catastrophizing.
• IfIdon'tdowellinmynextexam,Iamgoingtofaileverything,getkickedoutofuniversityandbeafailurefortherestofmylife
• IfIdon'tgetmyacttogethersoon,Ineverwill• IfIdon'tgetthisjob,Iwillnevergetanotheroneandwillbeonthescrapheap• IfIgetsick,Iwillneverrecover,andneverbeabletobehappyagain• IfIsplitupwithmypartner,Iwillnevermeetanyoneagainandwillbealone
Pessimisticornegativebias.
• Ifsomethingterribleisgoingtohappen,itismuchmorelikelytohappentome• ThisproveswhatIsuspectedallalong• Youcan'ttrustanyonethesedays• Everyoneisouttoripyouoff• Iwillnevergetoutofthismess• Badthingsarealwayshappeningtome,orsomeoneIcareabout
Personalization,overresponsibility.
• Youassumeresponsibilityforbadthings,eventhoughyouprobablywerenotresponsible
• Amotherfeelsresponsibleforherdaughters'poorgradesatschoolandconcludes‘Iamalousymother.'
• Youcompleteatenderatwork,andyourcompanyisnotawardedthejob–‘Ifailed,Idon'tdeservethetrustandrespectpeoplegiveme.
So,howdoyoucatchyourownNATs?Mostofthetime,theycomeintoyourheadandleavequickly,asiftherehasbeena“breakandenter,”youareleftwiththemessofthefeelings,butdidn'tcatchthethoughtsastheyoccurred.So,useyourfeelingsasacue,andwheneveryouarefeelingupset,tryandnoticewhatexactlyyouarefeeling,putitintowords,‘Iamanxious''Iamsad‘andaskyourselfthequestion,‘WhatdidIjustthinkthen?'Itmightalsotaketheformofapicture,oravisualimageofaface,orascene.Askyourselfwhatdidyousee?Ifyouseemupsetbysomethingthathasjusthappened,anevent,tryandlookforwhatitwasyouweretellingyourselfaboutthesituation?HowdidIviewthis?Whatdiditmeantome?WritingdownyourNATsThebestwaytobecomemoreawareisbywritingthemdownandlookoutfortheonesthataremoreuniquetoyou.BybeingyourownNATscientist,itcanhelptakethestingoutofthem,andeventhisprocesscanhelpyoutolookatthemdifferently.
3. MindfulnessMeditationMindfulness,orpayingattentiontothepresentmoment,canbeveryhelpfulinimprovingthecognitivesymptomsofanxietyanddepressionforlawyers.Thesedebilitatingsymptomsincludedistortedthinking,difficultyconcentratingandforgetfulness,allsignificantproblemsforpracticingattorneys.Negativethoughtscanleadtonegativeemotions,deepeningdepression.Focusingonthehereandnowhelpslawyersbecomeawareoftheirnegativethoughts,acknowledgethemwithoutjudgmentandrealizethey'renotaccuratereflectionsofreality.Throughmindfulness,individualsstarttoseetheirthoughtsaslesspowerful.Thesedistortedthoughts–suchas"Ialwaysmakemistakes"or"I'mahorribleperson"–starttoholdlessweight.Whenwemeditate,weare,essentially,watchingourselves.Thesedistortedthoughts–suchas"Ialwaysmakemistakes"or"I'mahorribleperson"–starttoholdlessweight.Whenwemeditate,weare,essentially,watchingourselvesthink.Weexperiencethoughtsandothersensations,butwearen'tcarriedawaybythem.Wewatchthemcomeandgolikecloudsinthesky.
Mindfulnessisparticularlyusefulforlawyersbecausewespendsomuchtimeinourheadsanalyzing,planning,andorganizing.Toooften,weforgetaboutourbodiesandbecometrappedinourminds.Tobehealthy,it'shelpfulto"dropoutofyourthinkingbrain"andintoyourbodybyjustfollowingyourbreath.Indoingso,wefindwegetabreakfromtheconstantchatterofourmindanddropintothepeaceandsimplicityofjustbeing.Therearemanywaystopracticemindfulnessmeditation.Buttheyallhaveincommonrestinginyourbreathandbodyandlettinggoofyourthoughtsandemotions.Tryeven10minutesadayandseehowyoufeel.Useanapponyoursmartphone.Youcandoitanywhere.
4. SupportGroupsIstartedadepressionsupportgrouptenyearsago.It'soneofthemostmeaningfulthingsI'veeverdone.Westartedoutwithtenpeople.Itmetonceamonth.Overtime,itevolvedintoeveryotherweek.Wenowgatheronceaweek.Oneoftheworstaspectsofdepressionandanxietyisthelonelinessthatsufferersendure.Thereareseveralreasonswhythisisso:theydon'tfeeluptobeingwithotherpeople,othersjustdon'tunderstand,ortheyfeelasenseofshameandhide.Whileitmaybeagoodideatotake"timeout"fromotherstoenjoysomepeaceornotsharewithothersthatwehavestrongreasontobelievewon'tunderstand,thesestrategiesareoftenmaladaptiveandonlyservetomaintainand/orfuelone'sdepression.Hereisabitofhard-wonwisdomI'velearned:whenIfeeltheworstiswhenImostneedtobewithotherpeopleandshare.Beingwithothersisevenmorecriticalwhenyou'reinpain.Youneedtocommunicateyourdistressandknowthatyour"tribe"willlistenandcare.Whenthisdoesn'thappen,youfeelalone,distressedandevenabandoned.Youwanderinthewildernessofpainbyyourselfandendureitasbestyoucan.Butdon'tyoudeservebetterthanthat?AndrewSolomon,theauthorofthebest-sellingbook"TheNoondayDemon:AnAtlasofDepression,"writes: Depressionisadiseaseofloneliness.Manyuntreateddepressiveslackfriendsbecauseit sapsthevitalitythatfriendshiprequiresandimmuresitsvictimsinanimpenetrable sheath,makingithardforthemtospeakorhearwordsofcomfort.Worldlysuccess doeslittletoassuagethatagony,asRobinWilliams'suicidemakesclear.Love,both expressedandreceived,ishelpful,notbecauseitamelioratesthesymptomsof depression(itdoesnot),butbecauseitgivespeopleevidencethatlifemaybeworth livingiftheycanonlygetbetter.Itgivesthemaplacetoadmittotheirillnessand admittingitisthefirststeptowardresolvingit.Besidesthepsychologicalsalvethatsupportcanbringtothewoundsofyourloneliness,therearecriticalphysiologicalreasonsforbeingpartofasupportgroup.Positiveexperiencescanalsobeusedtosoothe,balance,andevenreplacenegativeones.Whentwothingsareheldinthe
mindatthesametime,theystarttoconnectwitheachother.That'sonereasonwhytalkingabouthardfeelingswithsomeonewho'ssupportivecanbesohealing:painfulfeelingsandmemoriesgetinfusedwiththecomfort,encouragement,andclosenessyouexperiencewiththeotherperson.I'vebeenaskedmanytimesabouthowtostartadepressionsupportgroupbylawyersandnon-lawyers.Hereareafewpointerstohelpyougetgoing.They'reinnoparticularorderofimportance.Beclearaboutwhatasupportgroupis.Asupportgroupisaregulargatheringoffolkssufferingfromdepressionwhosharetheirstruggleswithfellowsuffererstogaininsight,strength,andhope.Thesemeetingsarelessstructuredandmoreopen-ended,andthecontentdoesn'tcomefromamentalhealthprofessional.Incontrast,grouptherapyismorestructured,focusedonteaching,andhasaclearoutcomethatthegroupistryingtoreach.Atherapistleadsthem.Pickingaplace.Isuggestyouseekoutaplacetomeetataschool,college,church,communitycenter,libraryorotherfreespaceinyourcommunity.Iguessyoucouldhaveitinyourhome.Ihaveneverdonethat.Idon'tknowanyoneelsewhohas.Inmyview,theproblemwiththisspotisthatyoumustbepreparedtohaveitthereeverysingletime.Itmayputalotofresponsibilityonyou.Whathappensifyou'resickoronvacationandcan'thostthegathering?Ialsodon'tsuggestrotatingthelocationofthemeetingstodifferentmembers'homes.Thisdoesn'tworkbecauseitbecomesjusttoocomplicatedforpeopletorememberwherethemeetingisbeingheld.Pickoneplaceandstickwithit.Determineaschedule.Withthehelpofinitialsupport-groupmembers,decidehowoftentomeetandforhowlong.Forexample,everytwoweeksfor60to90minutes.Myexperiencehasbeennottofiddlewiththedayandtimeyouultimatelypick.Membersofmygroupknow,comehellorhighwater,meetingsstartat12:30sharpandendat1:30everysingleFriday.Theyneednotthinkaboutit.Iftheymisssomemeetings,they'renotlefthangingaboutwhenthenextmeetingis.Ifotherstendtocomelatetothemeeting,alwaysstartitontimeanyway.Myexperienceisthatpeopleappreciatethis.Everyonehasbusyschedulesandotherthingstodo.Meetingsshouldbenolessthanonceeverytwoweeksbecauseinterestcanwaneifthegroupdoesn'tmeetoften.Ifthemeetingsaretoofarapart,peopleforgeteachother'sstories.Talktoyourtherapist.Ifyou'reintherapy,talkwithhimorheraboutwhatyouplanondoingandwhy.Theyknowyouwellandcanoffersomesuggestions.They'veeitherrungroupsand/orbeentrainedinhowtodoso.Getsomeideas.Youdon'thavetorebuildthewheel.
Depressionsupportgroupshappeneverydayaroundthecountry.They'rerunbyvariousorganizationssuchastheDepressionandBipolarSupportAlliance.Checkouttheirwebsitetoseewherethesegroupsmeetinyourcommunityandgotoafewtoseehowtheyfunction.AskyourlocalorstateLawyerAssistanceProgramiftheyhavesuchagroup.Ifnot,inquireaboutstartingone.HowDoIFindSupportGroupMembers?Youneedtogetthewordout.Developaflyerthatbrieflydescribesyourgroup,whereandwhenitmeets,andcontactinformation.YoumayalsowanttocontactothersupportgroupsandaskiftheycanreferpeopletoyouormarketyourgrouponFacebookandothersocialnetworkingsites.OnethingIdidwastowritecolumnsinmylocalpaperaboutmyownexperienceswithdepressionandthesupportgroup.Thishelpedenormously.Peopleconnectwithpersonalstories.Italsohelpspeopleovercomethestigmaofattendingameeting.Ifyou'recomfortablewithit,asktospeakatyourlocalchurchorothersocialorganizationsyoumightbeapartof.Anotherwaytofindmembersistosearchfortherapistswhohaveofficeswithina10-mileradiusofwherethemeetingsaregoingtobeheld.I'dsendthemflyerssothatcouldreferpeopleinneedofsupport.Mosttherapistsaren'tevenawareofsuchgroups.So,educatethem!Haveanopeningandclosingritual.Earlyon,ourgroupcraftedanopeningthatwereadbeforeeverymeeting.Ihavetypedouttheopeningweuseatmygroupattheendofthisblog.Towardstheendofthemeeting,Iwillsay,"We'vegotabouttenminutesleft,isthereanyonewhohasn'tsharedthatwouldliketospeak?"I'llthenconclude,"SeeyouallnextFridayat1:30."Aconsistentstructuretothemeetingshelpsalot.Arrangeforrefreshments.Asksupport-groupmemberstotaketurnsprovidingsnacksanddrinksifdesired.Createaprivatelist-serve.It'sagoodideatogeteveryone'semailaddresstocommunicatewiththegroupintheeventofameetingcancellationduetotheweatherorotherproblems.Sometimes,yourusuallocationneedstobechangedonaparticulardatebecausethebuildingisclosedfortheholidays,etcetera.Sendoutane-mailthedaybeforethegroupmeetstoremindthemthere'sagatherthenextday.Peoplegetbusyandliketheselittlepokes.Ialsoforwardontomembersofgroupactivities–sometimeswemeetfordinnerorbreakfast.IalsopassalongdepressionblogsornewsI'vecomeacrossthatmightbeinterest.Aconfidentiallist-serveiseasytocreate.Checkoutthiswebpageabouthowtocreatealist-servethroughGoogle.ThisiswhatIuse.Tomakeitconfidential,Ie-mailmyselfnoticesandblindcopytherestofthegroup.Itworks.Leaders.Asupportgroupleader(s)isresponsibleformaintainingthestructureofthegroupandkeepingthegroupontopic.Leadersalsosetupmeetingsandcleanupafterward.Theymustbeabitassertive;ifyouarenotcomfortablebeingassertive,lookforthisqualityinaco-leader.
Askingotherstojointhegroup–besensitivetotheirconcerns.Becauseofthestigmaassociatedwithdepression,peoplearesometimesresistanttojoinasupportgroup.Theydon'tknowwhattoexpect."Willotherpeopleattendingthegroupknowme?Willthisbeembarrassing?Wouldthishelp?"Thenthereareotherswhohaveattendedotherdepressionsupportgroupmeetingsandfoundthemlacking.OneofthemostcommonthingsIhearisthatmanyofthefolkswhoattendthesemeetingisn’tworking,areondisabilityandaren'tplanningtogobackintotheworkforce.Letmebeclearonthispoint:innowayamIcriticizingpeoplewhoareinthissituation.Infact,Ifeeldeepcompassionforthem.Butforpeoplewhoareintheworkforceorthosetemporarilyoutofitwhowanttogetbackin,itisn'talwaysagoodfit.Beawareandsensitivetothisissue.IfIsensethatpeoplewouldliketocometothegroup,butareapprehensive,Imeetthemforcoffee.Ithelpstoreassurethem.Maybeaprospectivemembermightnotbeagoodfitforyourgroup.Ifso,behonestwiththemandreferthemtoanother.Rememberthatittakestimetostartandkeepagroupgoing.Ihaveknownotherpeoplewhohavefeltthepassionandcouragetostartgroupsonlytoseethemfizzleoutbecauseofalackofmembersororganization.Thatcanbediscouraging,nodoubt.WhenIfirststartedthegroup,I'dworryabouthowmanypeoplewouldcome.Forexample,I'dbedisappointediffourpeoplecame.Isomehowfeltlikeafailure(whycan'tIgetmorepeopletocome?)orabigsuccessif15came("Wow,thisisgreat.Peoplethinkthisisimportant!")Butinthepastsevenyearsofrunningmygroup,Ilearnedthatnumbersdon'tcountformuch.It'sthequalityanddepthofsharingthatcounts.SomeofthebestmeetingsI'veattendedhavebeenwithsmallnumbersofpeople.Itallowsmoretimeforeachpersontosharemoredetailsoftheirstrugglesthattheyotherwisemaynotbeabletodoinwithalargergroupsettingbecauseoftimeconstraints.Committokeepingthegroupgoingforatleastoneyear.Itwillhaveitsupsanddowns.Youneedtobepersistent.Remembertostayontopic.You'llnoticesomeparticipantsdriftintoothertopicslikebuyinganewcar,gossiporrecentthingsinthenews.Helpkeepthegroupfocusedandontask.It'sadepressionsupportgroup,plainandsimple.Themajorityofpeoplearethereforthatreason.It'ssimplynotfairtootherswhoneedthesupporttolistentootherswhowanttotalkaboutthingsotherthantheirdepression-relatedissues.Ifpeoplewanttotalkabouttheseissues,theycandosobeforeorafterthegroup.Becarefulnottoletsomeonedominatethetalk.ThisisacommonandtrickyproblemI'vehadtodealwithovertheyears.Weaddressthisintheopeningritual,butpeopleneedtoberemindedofthisforthebenefitofthegroup.Anindividualmembermaysometimesneedabitmoretimetotalkthanusual.That'sokay.Butifitbecomesachronicissue,takethepersonasideafterthegroupandgentlyaddressitwiththem.Shareresources.Manypeoplewhocometogroupshavereadbooksaboutdepressionthathave"spoken"totheminameaningfulway.I'vesharedmyfavoritesinablog,Dan's.Groupmemberscanalso
createsuchalistanddistributeit.Fromtimetotime,mygrouphasalsocomeupwithalistofrecommendedtherapistsandpsychiatristsinourarea.Again,abeneficialthingforpeoplewhodon'thaveoneorarethinkingofswitching(awidespreadissue).Hireatherapisttoattendthegroup.Ourgrouphashiredatherapisttofacilitateourmeetingsduringdifferenttimesinourhistory.It'snotnecessarytohaveasuccessfulgroup,butmaybehelpful.Howtofindone?Sendoutalettertolocalcounselorsthatyou'rethegroupislookingforone.Howdoyoupayforit?Takeupacollectionfromthegroup.Forexample,ifyouhavetenpeople(anidealnumberofmembersforasupportgroup,bytheway,is8to10folks),askthattheyeachkickin$10pergroupmeetingtopayforthetherapist.Thepsychologistinourgroupdidn'ttalkmuchduringthemeeting,exceptintheend.Hewouldsumupsomeofthethemesheheardandofferafewhelpfultipsandobservations.Ithoughtthisworkedwellandwasarealbenefittothegroup.Youcanalsoaskalocaltherapisttovolunteertheirtimetothisworthyeffort.Committoconfidentiality.Makesureeveryoneinyourgroupunderstandsthatwhat'ssharedinthesupportgroupstayswithinthegroup.Ican'tstressthisissuestronglyenough.Peopleneedtofeelsafe.Withoutthat,thegroupwon'tsucceed.RitualOpening.Ihavefoundthatitisessentialtohavearitualopeningtobeginmeetings.Assuch,wehavedifferentmembersofthegroupreadthisopeningeachweek:Welcometothe{insertgroupname]supportgroupforlawyerscopingwithdepression.Depressionisabio-psychosocialphenomenonmeaningthatitaffectspeopleintheirbiological,psychological,andsocialareasofdailyfunction.Depressionisahealthproblemthatdoesnotdiscriminatebygender,race,religion,occupation,orintellectualability.Itisnotamoralweaknessanymorethanasthma,diabetes,orhypertensionare.But,similartotheseotherillnesses,depressionishighlytreatableandcanbemanagedeffectively.Interpersonalsupportisanintegralpartofdepressionmanagement.Thisgroupisanonymousandconfidential.Hereisaforumtoshareyourstressesandyourexperiencesincopingwithdepression.Weaskthatgroupmemberssuspendjudgmentofothers,refrainfromdirectadvicegiving,andallowadequatetimeforallparticipantstosharetheirrespectivestories.Weseektheserenitytoacceptthethingswecannotchange,thecouragetochangethethingswecan,andthewisdomtoknowthedifference.
5. RethinkingPerfectionismLawyersoftenmix-upadrivetoexcelandperfectionism;they'renotthesamething.Adrivetobeyourverybestcanleadstoasenseofself-satisfactionandself-esteem.Itfeelsgoodtogiveitallwegot.Perfectionism?It'sahorseofadifferentcolor.Attorneyswhofeeldriveninthisdirectiontendtobemoremotivatedbyexternalforces–suchasthedesiretopleaseothersratherthanthemselves.Frequentandrecurringthoughtsofperfectionistsinclude:
• Anythingshortofexcellentisterrible• Ishouldbeabletodo/solvethisquickly/easily• Iambesthandlingthismyself• Imustfindtheonerightanswer• Errors,failure,andmistakesareunacceptable• Ihavetodoitallatonce
PsychologistDr.GordonFletthasstudiedperfectionistsandfoundthattheysetexcessivelyhighpersonalstandardsforthemselvesandothersthenharshlyevaluatetheirperformanceonthesebenchmarks.Often,perfectionistsbelieveit'stheirparents,bosses,clients,orspouseswhoexpectthemtobeperfect.Theythinkthatsuchpeoplewillvaluethemonlyifthey'reperfect.Theconstantdemandtoappearasiftheyhaveitalltougherisdraining.Otherstendtoseethemasharshandunforgiving–rigidandunkind–thoughthetruthontheinsideistheyarevulnerablepeoplewholackresilience.Flettfoundthatphysicians,lawyers,andarchitects,whoseoccupationsdemandprecision,areathigherriskforperfectionism,depression,andsuicide.Causesofperfectionismrunfromparentingtoageneticlink,butwhateveritsorigins,trythesefixes:
ü Separateself-worthfromtherequirementtodothingscorrectly.Dr.NicholasJennerwrites:Perfectionismisaddressablebyusingandapplyingcognitivetools.Positivechangecanbehadwhenthinkingischanged,andself-worthisseparatedfromtherequirementtodothingsperfectly.Ifyouconstantlyhearyourinnercriticberatingyoufornotgettingordoingthatextra20%,youhavenoticedyourperfectionistbeliefs.Discreditinganddisputingthesevaluesandfindingrealisticevidencetoprovethemwrongisavitalpartofrecovery.Ashumans,weareinherentlyimperfect.Wecanfailwithouteverbeingafailure.Wesometimesneedtothinkaboutitandbelieveit.
ü Putpeoplefirst.Beforetasksand"stuff,"putyourheartintoconnectingwiththe
peopleyoulove.
ü Comeoutasahumanbeing.Authenticity,althoughmessy,isrequiredforthepleasureoflove,joy,funandoverallhappiness.
ü Payattentiontoyourownsignsoftrouble.Perfectionistsgetmoreanxiousandrigid
whentheyarehungry,angry,lonelyortired.Usepreventionstrategiestomanagethistendency.
ü Letgoofhighexpectations.Trytoacceptpeopleastheyare.Wearealluniqueand
flawedashumanbeings.
6. Therapy:TalkingItThroughIfyouhaveeversufferedfromclinicaldepression,thechancesarethatyouhaveundergonepsychotherapy.Today,mymusingswillfocusonthemysterious,intimaterelationshipbetweentherapistsandtheirclientsindealingwithdepression.IguessyoucouldsaythatI'maveteranoftherapy.Ifirststartedgoingduringmylastyearoflawschool.Thisfledgingattemptat"gettingbetter"didn'tgosowell.Atthetime,mytherapistwasfocusedonhelpingmetorecoverfrombeingraisedbyanalcoholicfather.Depressionwasn'tevenpartoftheconversation.Iwashighachievingbutbrokeninsomefundamentalsense.Ididn'tknowwhoIwasorhowtobemyselfintherealworld.So,Ipretendedalot.Ipretendedbylearninghowtopleaseothers.Undoubtedly,gettinggoodgradeswaspartofthisbasicformula.Mymotherandprofessorswerecertainlypleased.Ilovedlearning,butgettinggoodgradeswasmorethanthat.Ibegantoenvisionmyselfasa"success"andneededhighgradestobuildonthatidentity.Goodgradeswouldtakemeplaces,Ithought.Theyeventuallytookmetolawschoolandmynewidentity,afterpassingtheBarExam,asamemberofthelegalprofession.Iwasn'tjustDan;Iwasa"LAWYER";anEsq.Parexcellence.Afterbecominganattorney,Isawatherapistoffandon.Theyhelped,butnotinanyenduringway.Yearswentby,andIstillfeltthatsamesenseofbrokennessthatIhadwhenIfirstbegantherapyovertwentyyearsago.Iwouldbashmyselfwiththesecriticalquestions:"Whycan'tIgetmyselftogetherafteralltheseyearsoftherapy?Whycan'tIfigureallthisout?"Thesequestionswouldhauntmeforalongtime.LittledidIknowthatmostpeoplewithdepressionstruggledwiththesamemisguidedruminations.PsychologistJamesHollisoncesaidthatthequalityofourlivesisdrivenbythequalityofquestionsweaskourselves.Depressionwarpsthisquestioningprocess.Thequestionsourmelancholyaskofusaredeadendseventhoughwedon'tseethemassuchwhileweareengagedinsuchself-assessment.Acommonlament:"What'swrongwithme?"Whatgoodcomesofthisquestionforsomeonewithdepression?Itsfocusispartoftheillnessandnotalegitimaterouteoutofit.Itoftencompelsustomakeupalistof"ThingstoDotoFixMe"neverrealizingthatwedon'tneedtofixourselvessomuchascompassionatelyfaceourselves.I'vehadthesamepsychologistforthepastthreeyears.HisnameisJerry,andhebearssomeresemblancetoFreud.He'sanItalianguyfromtheBronxandaprofessorofpsychologyatoneofourlocaluniversities.Ioftenwaffleabouthowmuchcanbeaccomplishedbyseeingapsychologistonceeveryweekortwo.ButIamoftensurprisedbythesustenancethatIdrawfromJerry,ofteninunexpectedways.ThefamouspsychoanalystCarlJungoncewrote:"Theprincipalaimofpsychotherapyisnottotransportonetoanimpossiblestateofhappiness,buttohelptheclientacquiresteadfastnessandpatienceinthefaceofsuffering."
Weneedtofaceourdepressionandperhapslearnthatitwon'tdestroyus;weneedtolearn(yes,itisaskillyoucanlearn)nottorunfromitorkeepfeedingit.Anotherrenownedanalyst,HelenLukeechoedJung'swisdom:"Theonlyultimatecurefordepressionistheacceptanceofrealsuffering.Toclimboutofitanyotherwayissimplylayingthefoundationforthenextdepression."Recently,Iwentthroughapainfulepisodeinmylife.IwastellingJerryaboutmybestfriend,Steve,andsaid,"Hetoldmethathewillalwaysbebymyside24-7."Jerrysatacrossfrommewithhiswiseeyesandpaused.Hethensaid,withasenseofweightedauthenticity,"Dan,Itoowillstandbesideyouandbewithyouatalltimes."Theintimacybetweenusduringthat10-secondexchangewasprofoundandstayedwithmeforalongtime.Cansomeoneyouseefor1hourgenuinelycareaboutyouinsuchanintimateway?Yes.Itcan'tbefaked,however.Maybethat'spartofthechemistryofhavingtherighttherapist,andit'sadifferentequationforeveryone.Ibelievethatit'scriticaltohaveatherapistasourallyinourrecoveryfromandmanagementofdepressiononaconsistentbasis.Ithinkconsistencyisimportantbecausepeoplewithdepressionoftencomefromfamilieswhereconsistencywassorelylacking;theymaynotevenhavemuchitintheirpresentlives.Eveniftheydo,itmostlikelyneedsshoringup.Inalovingway,letgoofthequestionsthatonlyleadyoudowndepression'sdeadends.Therapyisnotjustaquestioningofharmfulhabitsthatfueldepression,butareplacementwithquestionsworthyofyou.Inshort,theyarenothingshortoftheGreatQuestions:"HowcanIbringmoremeaningtomylife?Whataremygreatestpassionsinlife?"Itisonlybyfacingandbeingpresenttothepainofourdepressionthatwecanlearntoletitgoandliveoutthegreatquestionsofourlives.
CLOSINGARGUMENT
Aheroisanordinarypersonwhofindsthestrengthtopersevereandendureinspiteofoverwhelmingobstacles.–ChristopherReeve
Lawyerswithmentalhealthoraddictionproblemsoftenthinkofthemselvesas"lessthan"–lessthancompetent,lessthansuccessfulandevenlessthanagoodperson.Theyoftenlivesuccessfulprofessionalandpersonallives–atleastfromoutwardappearances.Lookingouttheirofficewindows,theyprivatelyfearthatotherswillfindoutjusthowincompetenttheyfeel;or,worseyet,thattheyhaveamentalhealthoraddictionproblem."Whatwilltheythinkthen?"theyworry.Whentoxicstress,anxiety,depression,oraddictiongetbad,lawyers,insomefundamentalsense,feelbroken.Thisisattributabletobothphysiological(poorsleep,appetite,energylevels)andpsychological(distortedpessimisticthinking:e.g.,"Nobodycaresaboutme,""Istinkatmyjob"or"Mydepressionwillneverend.")factors.
Butthisburdenofbrokennessisn'tjustan"insidejob"–thecrummystufftheytellthemselvesaboutthemselves.Otherpeople,whetherintentionallyornot,caninflictdamagingjudgmentsandinnuendosaboutasufferingperson'sbehaviororpersonhood:"You'relazy,""Ifyoutriedharder,you'dfeelbetter,"or"You'rejustfeelingsorryforyourself,"arejustoffewofthecommentsstrugglinglawyersoftenendure.Othersmaytelladepressedlawyerthey'relettingeverybodydownattheoffice(e.g.,notbillingenoughhours,notproducingwhattheyusedtoproducebeforetheyweredepressed,etc.).Or,maybeaspousetellsthemtheyaren'tcontributingenoughtofamilyresponsibilities.Theproblemisnotthatthesearen'tessentialandlegitimateconcerns.Theproblemisthatothers,inanattempttosnapalawyerbackintohisorherpriorhigherfunctioningstate,employthesemisguidedstrategies.Evenifothersdon'tsaythesethings,weknowonsomedeeplevelthatthey'rethinkingit.Thenthereistheculturalstigma–acloudofignorance,fear,andmisunderstanding–surroundingmentalillness.WhenIdisclosedtooneofmylawpartner'syearsagothatIwassufferingfrommajordepression,hewasstunned...andangry.Hesnapped,"Youknow;you'vegotahellofalottofeelgratefulabout.You'vegotabeautifulfamilyandagreatjob.ForGodsake,goonadamnvacation!"LittledidheknowthatIwasseverelydepressed,evenonvacation.Atthetimehesaidthat,ithurt–badly.Iwasalsoangry.ButwhatIdidn’tunderstandthenwasthathe,likemany,didn’thaveareferencepointforwhatdepressionreallywas–anillness.Americanculturetendstoseedepressionasamoralorpersonalweakness;the"just-get-over-it"rantsofasocietythatlikessimplisticanswerstocomplicatedproblems.Dr.O'Connorcapturessometheironyofhowoursocietyseesdepressionasdifferentfrom–ormaybenotasrealas–otherformsofillness: Where'sthebignationalfoundationleadingthebattleagainstdepression?Whereis theJerryLewisTelethonandtheAnnualRunforDepression?Littleblackribbonsfor everyonetowear?Theobviousansweristhestigmaassociatedwiththedisease.Too muchofthepublicstillviewdepressionasaweaknessorcharacterflawandthinkswe shouldpullourselvesupbyourbootstraps.Andallthehypeaboutnewantidepressant medicationshasonlymadethingsworsebysuggestingthatrecoveryismerelyamatter oftakingapill.
Hecontinues, Thisisthecruelestpartofthedisease:weblameourselvesforbeingweakorlacking characterinsteadofacceptingthatwehaveanillness,insteadofrealizingthatourself- blameisasymptomofthedisease.Andfeelingthatway,wedon'tstepforwardand challengeunthinkingpeoplewhoreinforcethosenegativestereotypes.So,westay hiddenaway,feelingmiserableandblamingourselvesforourmisery.Inmyview,lawyerswhostrugglewithmentalhealthoraddictionproblemsaremyheroes.Ifyou’reoneofthosepeoplestrugglingrightnow,YOUareahero.You'rethepersonwhohastogetupeverydayandcopewiththeseproblemsthatseem,andsometimesare,daunting.Otherscanhelpandsupportyou,butit'sultimatelyyourwalktowalk.Andwhatacourageouswalkitis;everysinglestepofit.SomeofthebestpeoplethatI'vebeenprivilegedtoknowhavehadthesestruggles.Whiletheydon'thaveshinymedalspinnedtotheirlapels,thereisanunmistakablestrengthinthem–eveniftheydon'tseeit.So,hereissomefoodforthoughtforyouheroes:Rememberthatmostoftheseproblemsdon'tlastforever.Youwillcomeoutofit,evenifyougobackintothemucksometimes.Ormaybeevenalotofthetime.Perhapsyoufall30timesaday,ormaybeit'sjustastumble.Butregainyourbalanceandstandup.AstheoldZensayinggoes,"Falldownseventimes—getupeight."That,myfriends,isheroic.Remembernottocondemnyourselfwhenyouaredown,butpickyourselfupandrememberthatyouare,honestly,aremarkableperson.AswriterAndrewBernsteinoncewrote:"Aherohasfaceditall:heneednotbeundefeated,buthemustbeundaunted."Startyourjourneyoutofthedarkwoodsoftoxicstress,burnout,anxiety,depression,oraddiction.Beundaunted.
RECOMMENDEDBOOKS&ONLINERESOURCES
Depression"UndoingDepression:WhatTherapyDoesn'tTeachYouandMedicationCan'tGiveYou,"RichardO'Connor,Ph.D."GetitDoneWhenYou'reDepressed,”JulieA.FastandJohnPreston,RichardO’Connor,Ph.D."TheMindfulWaythroughDepression:FreeingYourselffromChronicUnhappiness,"J.MarkWilliams,Ph.D."Unstuck:YourGuidetotheSeven-StageJourneyOutofDepression,"JamesS.Gordon,M.D."The10Best-EverDepressionManagementTechniques,MargaretWehrenberg,Ph.D."Lincoln'sMelancholy:HowDepressionChallengedaPresidentandFueledHisGreatness,"JoshuaWolfShenkStress&Anxiety"TheMindfulWaythroughAnxiety:BreakFreefromChronicWorryandReclaimYourLife,"SusanM.Orsillo,Ph.D.“UndoingPerpetualStress:TheMissingConnectionBetweenDepression,Anxietyand21stCenturyIllness,”RichardO'Connor,Ph.D.“The10Best-EverAnxietyManagementTechniques,”MargaretWehrenberg,Ph.D.“ThingsMightGoTerribly,HorriblyWrong:AGuidetoLifeLiberatedfromAnxiety,”TroyDuFrene“GetOutofYourMindandIntoYourLife,”StevenC.Hayes“TheWorryCure:SevenStepstoStopWorryfromStoppingYou,”RobertL.Leahy,Ph.D.“TheAnxietyandWorryWorkbook,”DavidA.Clark,Ph.D.“Self-Coaching:ThePowerfulGuidetoBeatAnxiety,”JosephJ.Luciani,Ph.D.BooksonLawyerMentalHealth&Wellbeing
"TheHappyLawyer:MakingaGoodLifeintheLaw,"NancyLevitandDouglasO.Linder"TheReflectiveCounselor:DailyMeditationsforLawyers,"F.GregoryCoffeeandMaureenKessler"TheAnxiousLawyer:An8-WeekGuidetoaJoyfulandSatisfyingLawPracticeThroughMindfulnessMeditation,"JennaCho&KarenGifford."StressManagementforLawyers:HowtoIncreasePersonal&ProfessionalSatisfactionintheLaw,"AmiramElwork,Ph.D."TheUpwardSpiral:GettingLawyersfromDailyMiserytoLifetimeWellbeing,"HarveyHyman,J.D.OnlineResources
• LawyerswithDepression• AmericanBarAssociation'sCommissiononLawyers'AssistancePrograms• DepressionandBipolarSupportAlliance• UniversityofMichiganDepressionCenter• HopetoCope• MentalHealthAssociationofAmerica• RhodeIslandLawyerAssistanceProgram
DanLukasikistheDirectoroftheWorkplaceWell-BeingfortheMentalHealthAssociationinBuffalo,NewYork.Tenyearsago,Dancreatedaweeklylawyersupportgroupinhiscommunityforthosewhostrugglewithdepressionandawebsitelawyerwithdepression.com,thefirstwebsiteandblogofitskindinthenation,tohelplawstudents,lawyers,andjudgescopewithandhealfromdepression.Sinceitslaunch,thewebsitehasgrowntoservenotonlythoseinthelegalprofessionbutanyonewhostruggleswithstress,anxiety,anddepression.Thesitehashadover2millionpageviewsandbeenvotedoneofthetopdepressionblogsinthecountryfiveyearsrunningbyMedicalNewsTodayandHealthline.com.Dan'sworkonmentalhealthhasbeenfeaturedinTheNewYorkTimes,TheWallStreetJournal,TheNationalLawJournal,TheWashingtonPost,onCNN,andmanyothernationalandinternationalpublications.Hehaslecturedaroundthecountryonthetopicsofstress,anxiety,anddepressionbeforecorporations,mentalhealthorganizations,barassociations,CLEprograms,andcollegesincludingHarvardLawSchool,YaleLawSchool,SyracuseUniversity,theAmericanBarAssociation,TheAmericanPsychiatricAssociation'sannualconvention,theAmericanAssociationofJustice'sannualconference,andtheMentalHealthAmerica'sannualconventioninWashington,D.CDanistheExecutiveProducerforoftheoriginaldocumentary,"ATerribleMelancholy:DepressionintheLegalProfession,"whichhasbeenviewedbythousandsofviewsaroundthecountry.Hewastherecipientof"RogerStonePublicAdvocacyAwardfromtheMentalHealthAssociationofErieCounty,"the"SpiritAwardfromCompeer,anorganizationdedicatedtopairingmentorswithpeoplestrugglingwithmentalillness,thePublicServiceMeritAwardfromtheNewYorkStateBarAssociation,andTheDistinguishedAlumniAwardforPublicService
fromhislawschoolalmamaterforhisworkinassistingthosewithdepressioninhiscommunity.A1988graduateoftheUniversityatBuffaloSchoolofLaw,Danwasvotedbytheover4,000membersofhisBarAssociationtothe"LegalElite'sTop10:BestoftheBest"asoneofthemostrespectedlawyersinhiscommunityandlistedinthepublication,"TheBestLawyersinAmerica."
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