A New Site for Lawyers with Depression

Here's why lawyer Daniel T. Lukasik created his new site Lawyers with Depression:

Depression is often a very isolating experience - - even when the depressed person has a supportive and loving group of people to rely on.  In my own life, I often found relief in reading books about depression, spirituality or health and trying to relate the wisdom in those books to my own life as a lawyer.

When I searched on-line for materials to read that would support me in my attempt to cope with depression and my law practice, what I found was sometimes helpful, but in the end, insufficient.  Given the prevalence of depression among lawyers,  I was shocked to learn that there were no websites specifically devoted to helping attorneys with depression.

Yes, it is true that (a) there are many sites about depression and (b) many sites about attorneys and the problems encountered in the practice of law.  The general sites about depression are useful and informative.  Yet, they don't particularly grasp a lawyer's predicament.   All or most bar associations have lawyer assistance and/or "Lawyers Helping Lawyers" programs.  These groups can be a good start to helping  lawyers with depression.  However, they often help lawyers with a multitude of problems:  alcoholism, drug addiction, other mental illnesses, gambling and other serious health problems.  When you check out  these  more traditional lawyer programs and/or websites, there is usually little information or support for lawyers struggling with depression.

The excerpt is taken from Lukasik's post, "Why I Created This Site." Lukasik's new site focuses exclusively on the problem of depression and contains a number of useful articles, resources, and links, and other materials. Many lawyers will find it useful.

Related Post at Legal Underground: "Depression, The Lawyers' Epidemic: How You Can Recognize the Signs," by guest-poster Raymond P. Ward.

Comments

[Eh Nonymous]

Two good books:

Stress Management for Lawyers, by Amiram Elwork, Ph.D. (with two coauthors, a J.D. and a J.D./Ph.D.)

Feeling Good, by David Burns, M.D.

The second one is if possible even more on point. Dr. Burns is the best out there for cognitive therapy, which is a sort of silver bullet, drug-free, for depression. I was skeptical. He's not just persuasive; the stuff is clinically proven. Heck, most of the stuff lawyers use against their depression (drugs, alcohol, gambling, exploiting other people) aren't clinically proven. The only things that work are: doing something about it; getting help; breaking out of the depression (e.g. diet/ exercise/behavior). Since a depressive can't do it alone, or they wouldn't be stuck in their incorrect thinking, there's things like this book.

I cannot recommend Feeling Good enough. It works in conjunction with therapy, or with prescriptions, or all by itself (so-called book therapy). If you or someone you know is depressed, whether or not they're a lawyer, do them a favor and make sure they have this book. It's bright cheery yellow and the '99 update is available in paperback, of course.

[johnsmith]

The California Bar Journal is running an article "Depression and its Heavy Toll on Lawyers" so no, we're not imagining that often our fellow lawyers really are more hostile than, say rocket scientists (who are at least as smart lawyers, but in different ways and vastly different work environments.)
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johnsmith

Addiction Recovery Illinois

[samantha]

Depression is highly associated with overwhelming pain including the pains of loneliness, a miserable marriage, childhood trauma, poverty, unemployment, physical incapacitation and a variety of significant hurts and losses. Instead of viewing depression as either a character defect or a biochemical defect, depression is better seen as a strategy for shutting down overwhelming pain. Similar to the shutdown strategy of substance abuse, depression can also get out of hand and become a compulsion.
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samantha

Illinois Alcohol Addiction Treatment