This document summarizes a presentation on lawyers' mental health and well-being. It discusses statistics showing high rates of depression, anxiety, and other mental health issues among law students and practicing attorneys. Potential contributing factors include isolation, pressure to perform, and an emphasis on analysis over emotions. The presentation covers definitions of mental health, common physical and emotional symptoms of issues like depression and anxiety, self-assessment tools, and the importance of seeking treatment, as untreated mental health issues can worsen over time or lead to problems like substance abuse or suicide.

1. Only
Human:
How
Lawyers
Can
Recharge
Physically,
Emo:onally,
&
Socially
copyright
©
2014
Dave
Nee
Founda9on

2. Presenter
Katherine
M.
Bender,
Ph.D.,
NCC
Programming
Director
Dave
Nee
Founda9on
_______________________
copyright
©
2014
Dave
Nee
Founda9on

3. AGENDA
Introduc9ons
Facts
&
Stats
Mental
Health
101
Wellness
9ps
Poten9al
Indicators
of
Concern
Interven9ons
Resources
Ques9ons,
Comments,
&
Evalua9ons
www.daveneefounda9on.com
copyright
©
2014
Dave
Nee
Founda9on

4. The
Story
of
Dave
https://vimeo.com/77947937
copyright
©
2014
Dave
Nee
Founda9on

5. American
Bar
Founda:on
Research
Journal
found
in
a
past
study:
•
8-­‐9%
of
law
students
reported
symptoms
at
the
of
start
law
school;
•
32%
did
aTer
two
semesters;
•
40%
did
aTer
three
years.
• 17%
2
years
AFTER
gradua9on
(Benjamin,
G.
A.
H.,
Kaszniak,
A.,
Sales,
B.
and
Shanfield,
S.
B.,
1986;
Benjamin,
Darling,
and
Sale,
1990)
Depression
in
Law
School
copyright
©
2014
Dave
Nee
Founda9on

6. FSU
study
found:
Law
students
at
the
start
are
rela9vely
“normal”
BUT,
eventually
Decline
in
posi9ve
affect
and
life-­‐sa9sfac9on
Increase
in
nega9ve
affect
and
depression
Overall
decrease
in
subjec9ve
well-­‐being
(Sheldon,
K.M,
and
Krieger,
L.
S.,
2004)
Law
Student
Well-­‐Being
copyright
©
2014
Dave
Nee
Founda9on

7. Dammeyer,
M.M.,
and
Nunez,
N.,
1999
found
copyright
©
2014
Dave
Nee
Founda9on

8. Factors
that
contribute
to
higher
rates
of
depression
• Isola9on
• Expecta9on
to
be
“expert”
• Pressure
to
Perform
• Analysis
v.
emo9ons
Depression
in
the
Legal
Field
copyright
©
2014
Dave
Nee
Founda9on

9. Are
lawyers
special?
§ Perfec9on
§ Pessimism
§ Vicarious
trauma
Your
stress
is!
copyright
©
2014
Dave
Nee
Founda9on

10. CNN
REPORTS
hlp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z_ZelG4_bqQ
copyright
©
2014
Dave
Nee
Founda9on

11. copyright
©
2014
Dave
Nee
Founda9on

12. Mental
Health
101
What
is
mental
health?
copyright
©
2014
Dave
Nee
Founda9on

13. Everybody’s
Got
It
We
all
have
mental
health,
just
like
we
all
have
physical
health.
copyright
©
2014
Dave
Nee
Founda9on

14. Best
Case
Scenario:
Peace
&
Balance
• social
• emo9onal
and
• psychological
states
copyright
©
2014
Dave
Nee
Founda9on

15. Social
Connec:ons
copyright
©
2014
Dave
Nee
Founda9on

16. Full
range
of
emo:ons
Tragedy
Happiness
Open
to
life
experiences
copyright
©
2014
Dave
Nee
Founda9on

17. Effec:ve
Coping
• Cope
with
challenges
• Solve
problems
• Connect
thought
and
emo9on
• Manage
Stress
copyright
©
2014
Dave
Nee
Founda9on

18. HOWEVER…
Some:mes
things
go
wrong
copyright
©
2014
Dave
Nee
Founda9on

19.
§ High
blood
pressure
§ Chest
pain
§ Rapid
heartbeat
§ Jaw
clenching
§ Breathlessness
§ Headaches
§ Fa9gue
(Na9onal
Ins9tute
of
Mental
Health)
copyright
©
2014
Dave
Nee
Founda9on
Physical
Symptoms

20. § Poor
appe9te
or
overea9ng
§ Low
energy
§ Sleep
disturbances
§ Feeling
sad,
empty,
alone,
hopeless
§ Low
self-­‐esteem/self-­‐cri9cal
§ Excessive
crying
and/or
worrying
§ Feeling
more
anxious
than
usual
§ Overreac9ng
to
situa9ons
§ Feeling
no
purpose
to
existence
(Na9onal
Ins9tute
of
Mental
Health)
copyright
©
2014
Dave
Nee
Founda9on
Emo:onal
and
Behavioral
Symptoms

21.
§ Decreased
mo9va9on
§ Difficulty
concentra9ng
§ Decreased
interest
in
ac9vi9es
previously
enjoyed
§ Decreased
trust
in
others
§ Irritability
§ Wan9ng
to
spend
9me
alone
§ Difficulty
rela9ng
to
people
(Na9onal
Ins9tute
of
Mental
Health)
Emo:onal
and
Behavioral
Symptoms
copyright
©
2014
Dave
Nee
Founda9on

22. • Dis9nc9on
• Frequency,
Intensity,
Dura9on
• Work
• Play
• Love
Monitor
the
Symptoms
copyright
©
2014
Dave
Nee
Founda9on

23. Self-­‐Assessment
hlp://www.mentalhealthscreening.org/
screening/screening/default.aspx
Other-­‐Assessment
hlp://www.lawlifeline.org/
copyright
©
2014
Dave
Nee
Founda9on

24. WHAT
HAPPENS
IF
WE
IGNORE
THE
SYMPTOMS?
copyright
©
2014
Dave
Nee
Founda9on

25. Fewer
than
25%
receive
adequate
treatment
If
le_
untreated,
depression
can
lead
to
alcohol
and
substance
use
and
higher
rates
of
suicide
copyright
©
2014
Dave
Nee
Founda9on
Depression
is
the
most
common
mental
illness

26. Death
by
suicide
is
more
common
in
males,
but
females
alempt
more…there
are
oTen
observable
warning
signs
Peers
are
in
a
posi:on
to
intervene
or
recognize
that
help
is
needed,
some:mes
even
more
than
professionals.
hlp://www.afsp.org/understanding-­‐suicide/facts-­‐and-­‐figures
Drum,
Brownson,
Burton-­‐Denmark,
&
Smith,
2009;
Furr,
Westefeld,
McConnell,
&
Jenkins,
2001;
Konick
&
Gu9errez,
2005;
Stephenson,
Pena-­‐Shaff,
&
Quirk,
2006;
Westefeld
&
Furr,
1987;
Westefeld
et
al.,
2006
Bean
&
Baber,
2011;
Dadonna,
2011;
Sharkin
et
al.,
2003
Suicide
copyright
©
2014
Dave
Nee
Founda9on

27. IS
PATH
WARM?
American Association of Suicidology
I
Idea:on
S
Substance
Abuse
P
Purposelessness
A
Anxiety
T
Trapped
H
Hopeless
W
Withdrawal
A
Anger
R
Recklessness
M
Mood
Change
copyright
©
2014
Dave
Nee
Founda9on

28. WHAT
DO
YOU
DO
IF
YOU
HAVE
IDENTIFIED
A
PROBLEM?
copyright
©
2014
Dave
Nee
Founda9on

29. DO
DO
NOT
QPR
Promise
Secrecy
Listen
Minimize
Express
Concern
Ignore
Let
People
Know
You
Care
Say,
“this
is
not
so
bad”
copyright
©
2014
Dave
Nee
Founda9on

30. WHAT
CAN
YOU
DO
NOW
TO
HELP?
copyright
©
2014
Dave
Nee
Founda9on

31. Sleep.
(6-­‐8
hours
a
night)
Take
breaks.
Allies.
(spend
9me
with
friends
and
family!)
Yoga
and/or
deep
breathing.
copyright
©
2014
Dave
Nee
Founda9on

32. Well-­‐balanced
meals.
Exercise.
Let
go…of
things
beyond
your
control.
Laugh!
copyright
©
2014
Dave
Nee
Founda9on

33.
copyright
©
2014
Dave
Nee
Founda9on

34. Resources
• LCL
or
LAP
– Na9onal
Directory
– hlp://apps.americanbar.org/legalservices/colap/
lapdirectory.html
• 9-­‐1-­‐1
• 800-­‐273-­‐TALK
• Therapy
Directories
copyright
©
2014
Dave
Nee
Founda9on

35. copyright
©
2014
Dave
Nee
Founda9on

36. Where
can
I
go
to
find
more
informa:on?
• Lawlifeline
• Dave
Nee
Founda:on
• State
LAP
or
LCL
• Prof.
Jones
blog:
hdps://www.law.louisville.edu/blog/84
copyright
©
2014
Dave
Nee
Founda9on

37. Ques:ons
and
Evalua:ons
copyright
©
2014
Dave
Nee
Founda9on

38. References
American Association of Suicidology. (2006). Suicide in the
USA. Retrieved February 20, 2007 from
http://www.suicidology.org/associations/1045/files/SuicideInTheUS.pdf
American Foundation of Suicide Prevention (hlp://www.afsp.org/
understanding-­‐suicide/facts-­‐and-­‐figures)
Bean, G., & Baber, K. (2011). Connect: An effective community based youth
suicide prevention program. Suicide and Life –Threatening Behavior,
41(1), 87-97. doi:10.1111/j.1943-278X.2010.00006.x
Benjamin GA, Darling EJ, Sales B. (1990). Int. J. Law Psychiatry 13(3), 233-
246.
Benjamin, G. A. H., Kaszniak, A., Sales, B. and Shanfield, S. B. (1986), The
Role of legal education in producing psychological distress among law
students and lawyers. Law & Social Inquiry,11, 225–252. doi: 10.1111/j.
1747-4469.1986.tb00240.x
Carrington, P., & Conley, J. (1977). The alienation of law students. Michigan
Law Review, 75, 887-889.
.
copyright
©
2014
Dave
Nee
Founda9on

39. References
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Violence Prevention- suicide
datasheet (2012). Retrieved September 23, 2013 from
http://www.cdc.gov/violenceprevention/pdf/Suicide-DataSheet-a.pdf
Daddona, M. (2011). Peer educators responding to students with mental
health issues. New Directions for Student Services, 133, 29-39. doi:
10.1002/ss.382
Dammeyer, M.M., and Nunez, N., (1999). Anxiety and depression among law
students: Current knowledge and future directions. Law and Human
Behavior, 23, 55-73
Drum, D., Brownson, C., Denmark, A., & Smith, S. (2008). New data on the
nature of suicidal crises in college students: Shifting the paradigm.
Professional Psychology: Research and Practice, 40, 213-222. doi:
10.1037/a0014465
Furr, S. R., Westefeld, J. S., McConnell, G. N., & Jenkins, J. M. (2001).
Suicide and depression among college students: A decade later.
Professional Psychology: Research and Practice, 32(1), 97-100. doi:
10.1037//0735-7028.32.1.97
copyright
©
2014
Dave
Nee
Founda9on

40. References
Gibson, B. (2010). How law students can cope: A student’s view. Journal of
Legal Education, 60, 140-146.
Gutierrez, F.J. (1985). Counseling law students. Journal of Counseling and
Development, 64, 130-133.
Konick, L. C., & Gutierrez, P. M. (2005). Testing a model of suicide ideation in
college students. Suicide and Life-Threatening Behavior, 35(2), 181-192.
McKinney, R.A. (2002). Depression and anxiety in law students: Are we part
of the problem and can we be part of the solution? The Journal of the
Legal Writing Insitute,8, 229-255.
National Institute of Mental Health http://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/topics/
depression/index.shtml
Sharkin, B., Plageman, P., & Mangold, S (2003). College student response to
peers in distress: An exploratory study. Journal of College Student
Development, 44(5), 691-698.
Sheldon, K.M. & Krieger, L.S. (2004). Does legal education have
undermining effects on law students? Evaluating changes in motivation,
values, and well-being. Behavioral Sciences and the Law 22, 261-286.
copyright
©
2014
Dave
Nee
Founda9on

41. References
Stephenson, H., Pena-Shaff, J., & Quirk, P. (2005). Predictors of college
student suicidal ideation: Gender differences. College Student Journal,
40(1), 109-117.
Tani, M. and Vines, P. (2009). Law students attitudes to education: Pointers to
depression in the legal academy and the profession. Legal Education
Review, 19, 3-39.
Westefeld, J, Button, C., Halet, J., Jenks-Kettmann, J., MacConnell, J.,
Sandil, R., & Tallman, B (2006). College student suicide: A call to action.
Death Studies, 30, 931-956. doi:10.1080/07481180600887130
Westefeld, J., & Furr, S (1987). Suicide and depression among college
students. Professional Psychology: Research and Practice, 18(2), 119-
123.
copyright
©
2014
Dave
Nee
Founda9on

42. Thank
you
for
joining
us
and
Rocket
Mader
for
hos:ng
us!
copyright
©
2014
Dave
Nee
Founda9on