Law School Is Teaching Future Lawyers To Hide Depression And Addiction
In a profession already noted for extremely high rates of alcoholism and other addictions, it turns out the problem is being exacerbated by law schools.
Law school may specialize in teaching people how to think like a lawyer, but there is another, much more dangerous, lesson the experience is imparting to students: don’t get help for mental health issues. A new study, published in Bar Examiner, reveals that law students are being taught to avoid seeking help for depression, addiction and other mental health issues for fear it will negatively impact their admission to the bar.
In a profession already noted for extremely high rates of alcoholism and other addictions, it turns out the problem is being exacerbated by law schools. As reported by Bloomberg Business, the issue that begins in law school can spiral into serious issues for newly minted lawyers:
“Students who probably need to seek help are profoundly reluctant to, because they don’t perceive seeking help as being beneficial to their bar admission process,” said Jerome Organ, a law professor at the University of St. Thomas in Minnesota and one of the report’s authors. Organ suggested that the effect of untreated addiction or depression in lawyers could affect their ability to serve clients. “If I am dealing with mental health issues that are untreated, and I am not taking care of myself, I’m probably not going to be able to take care of someone else well.”
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And though the study points to fears about bar admission as the primary motivator for not seeking help, there are other factors that at play. Independent of bar admission, the study identifies the culture of law school that actually works to discourage seeking treatment:
[I]n law school, students are socialized into a competitive environment in which showing any vulnerability is discouraged. Seeking help is an acknowledgment of vulnerability. The competitive nature of law school reinforces a message that students are better off not seeking help and instead trying to handle problems on their own.
The study authors strongly advocate for law schools, Lawyer Assistance Programs, bar admissions agencies and professional organizations to work together to change this perception, because this is a dangerous lesson for law schools to be (inadvertently) teaching students.
(For additional discussion of this important subject, see Lawyers And Depression: An Interesting Issue.)
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Study: Future Lawyers Are Hiding Depression and Drug and Alcohol Use [Bloomberg Business]
Lawyer Assistance Programs: Advocating For A Systems Approach To Heal And Wellness For Law Students And Legal Professionals [The Bar Examiner]
Earlier: Lawyers And Depression: An Interesting Issue
Surprise! Lawyers Are Problem Drinkers (And Worse)
Chris Christie’s Plea For America To Change How It Deals With Drug Addiction Includes Story About Biglaw Partner Who OD’d
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