The Struggle: Law Students Suffer From High Rates Of Depression And Binge Drinking

The numbers are disturbing. This is a huge problem.

Businessman wearing blue shirt drunk at desk on white backgroundThe National Law Journal recently published a much-needed special report about the mental health of law students. It begins with the following sentence: “The numbers are disturbing: Law students suffer from depression, anxiety and substance abuse at unusually high rates.” The numbers are disturbing.

More than 3,000 law students from 15 law schools responded to the 2014 Survey on Student Well-Being, a study on mental health issues and alcohol and drug use that was conducted by Associate Dean David Jaffe of American Law, Professor Jerome Organ of U. St. Thomas Law, and Programming Director Katherine Bender of the Dave Nee Foundation. Eighteen percent of survey respondents said they’d been diagnosed with depression. The results of the study were stunning. More than one in six had been diagnosed with depression while in law school. Thirty-seven percent of law students screened positive for anxiety, and 14 percent of them met the definition for severe anxiety. Depression coupled with severe anxiety can lead to alcohol and drug abuse, and 22 percent of law student survey respondents reported that they were binge drinkers.

Once law students graduate, these problems do not improve, but seem to only get worse. According to a study conducted by the American Bar Association and the Hazelden Betty Ford Clinic found, one in three lawyers say they have a drinking problem, and 28 percent of them suffer from depression. Among those who reported problem drinking, 27 percent say their problems started in law school. This is a huge problem. Law students and lawyers often suffer in silence, and it’s time for that to change.

What are law schools doing in an attempt to help law students tackle these mental health issues? Karen Sloan of the National Law Journal reports on these special offerings:

In addition to offering wellness programs such as yoga, meditation, mindfulness classes and therapy dogs during final exams, a growing number of schools are bringing on full-time counselors, incorporating mental health and substance-abuse discussions into orientation, and establishing reporting networks where faculty and students can identify classmates who are struggling and get them help.

Law school administrators can no longer afford to ignore these problems because more students are coming into law school with pre-existing mental health conditions….

Sometimes these programs aren’t enough. Sometimes what law students really need is to know that they’re not alone in their pain. Sometimes what law students need is to know that they’ve got a friend who is willing to share not just in their triumphs, but also in their struggles. That’s why we’re starting a new series here at Above the Law called “The Struggle,” because for law students, the struggle is not just a meme — the struggle is real.

If these issues resonate with you, please reach out to us. Your stories need to be heard. You can email us, text us at (646) 820-8477, or tweet us @atlblog. We will share your stories anonymously. You may be able to help a law student who needs to know that someone else has been there before and survived.

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If you’re depressed and in need help, please call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline (1-800-273-8255) or a lawyer assistance program in your state. Remember that you are loved, so please reach out if you need assistance, before it’s too late.

In Focus: The Mental Health of Law Students [National Law Journal]
Law Schools Tackle Mental Health [National Law Journal]


Staci Zaretsky is an editor at Above the Law. Feel free to email her with any tips, questions, or comments. Follow her on Twitter or connect with her on LinkedIn.

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