The Second Great Depression

It is common knowledge that depression is prevalent in our society. 

Newsweek  recently ran a cover story entitled, "Depression and Men" which reported that the annual economic impact of adult depression in this country is estimated at $83 billion in lost productivity.   Any trip to your local bookstore reveals  shelves devoted to depression.
 
According to the World Health Organization, depression affects  121 million people worldwide and by the year 2020, depression will be the number two cause of "lost years of health life" worldwide.

The National Institute of Mental Health recently concluded that depression afflicts approximately 19 million American adults every year.

Amplifying these troubling numbers, psychologist, Richard O'Connor, notes these statistics:

• Health economists have equated the disability caused by major depression(i.e. lost time from work and health care costs) in this country with that of blindness or paraplegia;
• The chances of developing major depression at some point in  life are estimated at about 22 percent for women, 10 percent for men in this country.

While these numbers are staggering, they are modest when compared to the statistics regarding attorneys who suffer from depression:

• A 1991 John Hopkins study concluded that the incidence of depression among lawyers was up to four times that found among other professionals;
• Another 1991 study of approximately 100 occupations concluded that 10% of the lawyers  met the psychiatric criteria for depression;
• A 1996 study by psychologists discovered that 23.4% of attorneys in the State of Washington reported significantly high levels of depression;
• Researchers who studied lawyers in Washington State and Arizona found that 19% percent of these attorneys were clinically depressed and of this group, 19% percent were thinking about suicide.

While similar studies have not been undertaken in recent years, nevertheless, there is little doubt that the mental health of lawyers deserves attention.  There are approximately 140,000 lawyers practicing in New York State.  If the statistics are an indication of the scope of the problem, it may be estimated that thousands of New York lawyers may suffer from depression during their lifetimes.

Despite these statistics, it is often difficult for the lawyer struggling with his or her depression to come to terms with, and effectively respond to it.  They often hide from others and fail to seek help for their depression because they feel ashamed and/ weak.   This response further isolates attorneys and contributes to a painful sense of loneliness. 

Yet, what the above statistics make clear is that depressed lawyers are far from alone. 

Many attorneys struggle with depression, but try to deal with it by themselves.  However, motivated by the prospect of helping attorneys with depression, I urge readers to think about starting or participating in a support group.

When I tried to locate a support group for attorneys with depression that I could attend, I was unable to do so.  So I contacted my
my local bar association which has a program called "Lawyers Helping Lawyers" (many local bar associations have such a committee).  I met with a staff member, and after some discussion, she agreed to contact attorneys who had informed her of their depression during the past year, with the idea of establishing a support group.  A dozen lawyers agreed to attend such a meeting to participate and help.

It is easy enough to judge others who struggle with a problem that we may not share.  But I would urge members of the legal profession to seek to understand and help lawyers who struggle with depression.

Martin Luther King, in one of his most powerful sermons, preached to his congregation about the Good Samaritan.  Reverend King said that the true lesson of this story was the core spiritual question it raised - - what is our obligation to help our fellow human being in need?  The Good Samaritan, upon coming upon the injured Levite in the road, did not ask "what will happen to me if I help this person."  Rather, Dr. King stressed, he worried "what will happen to this person if I don't stop to help him."  We should all heed the words of Dr. King and remember that lawyers who struggle with depression need our help.