Stress, anxiety, depression, and grief are common problems that can lead to serious health, career, and relationship problems, especially for lawyers.

Lawyers often self-medicate with alcohol and drugs. Recent studies by the American Bar Association and the Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation show that lawyers suffer from alcoholism and addiction at a much higher rate than the general public, and about 20 percent of adults in the United States experience mental illness and distress in a given year.¹ The opioid epidemic and misuse of prescription drugs also have had a heavy impact on lawyers.

What signs should cause a caring friend, colleague or family member concern?
By recognizing mental health issues, we can begin to understand ourselves and recognize the problems in others so we can assist them.²  Here are some ways to deal with some mental health issues.

Keep an Eye on These Symptoms

Anxiety – this is simply worrying. A little anxiety can be beneficial and prompt us to act in a responsible fashion. Too much is a problem.  Forms of anxiety include panic attacks (sudden physical symptoms accompanied by shortness of breath, sweating, etc.), phobias (fears of certain situations), and post-traumatic stress disorder (a response to a life-threatening experience). Generalized anxiety disorders manifest as excessive anxiety and worry about a variety of things. Substance-induced anxiety such as paranoia is caused by medication or drug abuse. When anxiety and worry interfere with everyday life, it is time to get help.

Treatment options include medication, psychotherapy, or both. Without treatment, the disorder will worsen and it is likely that another anxiety disorder will develop and perhaps worsen an existing alcohol dependency or drug use problem.³

Lawyers are proud and ambitious; yet, anxiety can be life-threatening and can usually be treated successfully as long as help is offered in time.

Depression – symptoms include a feeling of constant sadness, loss of interest in activities formerly enjoyed, trouble sleeping, low energy, and thoughts about death or suicide. Depression sometimes can be treated by medication to address a chemical imbalance that may precipitate the depression.

Depression also can be treated with therapy. Medications can be custom- made through a new development called pharmacogenomics testing.⁴ If medications do not work, a new type of treatment may be the answer. For instance, “repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation” is a noninvasive application of magnetic pulses on the surface of the head. Personal therapy is always available and may be modified in steps to adapt to each situation.

Grief—grief produces mental and physical problems. It increases the risk of ailments and use of health care resources. Grief has been known to produce an increased risk of death from a variety of sources including suicide.⁵ Grief can result from events other than death. Loss of a job, divorce, separation, extended illness, and the like can produce episodes of serious grief. Usual coping relies on what we have learned from earlier losses. Grief is often accompanied by denial, anger and guilt.⁶

Several self-help techniques are suggested, such as talking to a friend and writing a letter. We must remember, grief usually dissipates over time and is viewed as a form of or temporary depression.⁷

Let’s face it, mental health is as important as physical health. Things usually get worse if ignored and left untreated. We all should be vigilant of those in trouble to help them reclaim their lives.

1. Patrick R. Krill, et al., The Prevalence of Substance Use and Other Mental Health Concerns Among American Attorneys, 10 Journal of Addiction Medicine (2016) available at https://journals.lww.com/journaladdictionmedicine/Fulltext/2016/02000/The_Prevalence_of_Substance_Use_and_Other_Mental.8.aspx.%20d. (last updated 2016).