PRESIDENT'S MESSAGE

By Tommy Proctor W. Thomas Proctor PC

GettingHelp

Immediate past State Bar president, Martha Dickie of Austin, made the mental health of lawyers a primary focus of her term, at least in part because of the tragic loss by suicide of her good friend, a prominent, successful and caring person; a well-respected member of our profession. I have read comments from those who knew him, such as “I am still in utter disbelief. We probably will never know why he did what he did.” “Why on earth would such a prominent, successful and genuinely caring man take his own life?”  “I only wish he would have reached out to someone who could have helped him see that no temporary problem deserves such a final solution.”  “He was a wonderful human being.”

As part of Martha’s initiative, the Texas Lawyers’ Assistance Program (TLAP) produced a powerful video, Practicing from the Shadows: Depression and the Legal Profession, profiling four Texas attorneys and their battles with depression. I assured Martha, as did current State Bar President Gib Walton, that discussion about the very important subject of the mental heath of our fellow practitioners would continue.  We have incorporated the video into our programming and maintained that dialogue. We know, and are all concerned by the fact, that depression and suicide profoundly affect not only our profession, but also our community and most importantly, our children. The reported disproportionate incidence of depression and suicide in the legal profession, as well as its impact on the legal system, are at the heart of our review for this mental health issue of The Houston Lawyer.

I suspect many of us have had a similar experience to Martha’s within our own worlds. I have shared her shock and dismay.over a similar tragic event.  With shock comes the frequent reaction, “Why didn’t I see it?” or if you might have suspected something, then “Why didn’t I do anything?” Hopefully, some of the material covered in this issue will help you to recognize the signs and help you to take beneficial action. Even better, perhaps someone who does suffer from depression is motivated to ask for help.  I encourage the profession to keep this issue at the forefront. We must do what we can.

An often-cited 1991 Johns Hopkins study claimed that out of 105 occupations, lawyers rank first in depression, with lawyers 3.6 times more likely to have depression or depressive episodes over the course of a lifetime than any other professional. Washington and Arizona surveys reported a disproportionate number of lawyers commit suicide, as did the Hopkins study. Whether you accept or intuitively challenge the cited statistics, we cannot deny nor ignore a very real cause for concern and call to action.

Some cite as contributing causes of depression among lawyers the conflicts and deadlines we deal with daily, the pursuit of the billable hour, and other things that burden us with enormous pressures.   It is also frequently mentioned that the personalities attracted to the profession may be a factor. 

Why are many of those suffering from the debilitating effects of depression not getting the help they need?  Some do not recognize they may be in trouble.  Some are in denial.  It may be that, fearful of stigmatization, many sufferers keep their illness a secret, rivaling the most closely guarded client confidence. They fear the effect it will have on their personal lives, but even more so on their professional lives.  The Catch-22 is that, left untreated, these conditions are in fact causing both their professional and personal lives to suffer, as well as those with whom they interact.  Left untreated, the effects may spiral the sufferer downward to the point of such despair that the permanent relief of suicide seems a viable solution.

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