September is National Recovery Month. This year’s theme is “recovery is REAL,” where “REAL” is an acronym for “Restoring Every Aspect of Life.” For those struggling with mental health issues, including substance misuse, recovery sounds like a fairy tale told to help us sleep at night. I know. That’s how I felt before I finally quit drinking and started my own recovery journey. With the help of my fellow travelers in recovery, I will celebrate 26 years of continuous sobriety on September 20, which makes National Recovery Month even more meaningful for me. Recovery is possible. It is real. And it is a blessing. But it is not always easy.
It is no secret that the practice of law is stressful and that those of us who are engaged in it are at higher risk of negative mental health outcomes, including depression, anxiety, and substance use disorder. We are also burned out. The American Bar Association, with Patrick Krill, of Krill Strategies, LLC, and Justin Anker, at the University of Minnesota, recently conducted a reboot of the landmark 2016 ABA/Hazelden mental health study of the profession, and the results have now been published and made public. Here is a link to the new study: When demands equal distress: An updated understanding of lawyer mental health and well-being – ScienceDirect.
The results of the new study are, in a word, sobering. 32.7% of the legal profession surveyed screen positive for mild to severe depression (versus 28.3% in the 2016 study). 26.9% screened positive for mild to severe anxiety (versus 19.3% in the 2016 study). 30.3% reported being mildly to severely stressed (versus 22.7% in 2016). In the new study, the percentage of respondents that screened positive for hazardous drinking decreased to 26.4% (versus 36.4% in the 2016 study). That decrease is consistent with national trends around alcohol consumption. Liquor sales are down nationally. What is not known is what the effect of the legalization of cannabis and THC products in many states has had. Cannabis use was not included as part of the study as it is notoriously difficult to survey given that people tend to downplay or conceal their use.
The 2016 study did not screen for burnout and to date there has not been a broad national study conducted to specifically screen for this in the legal profession. The new study did, and the numbers are alarming. 47.4% of respondents reported high to very high burnout. 83.6% screened positive for moderate to very high burnout. Many of us are at the end of our proverbial rope. Though the study does not draw specific conclusions about the causes, it is safe to say that a legal culture that includes long work hours, high levels of work-family conflict, a high prevalence of stressful and/or traumatic cases, and heavy client development pressures, among other contributors, all play a role. The correlation between these factors and the negative mental health outcomes discussed above is stark.
There is much to learn from the current iteration of this study. We at LCL will be looking at the numbers very closely, including the reported barriers to help-seeking, which include concerns around confidentiality and the reputational and career impact of seeking help (which are consistent with the 2016 study). Breaking down these barriers to asking for help is of utmost importance. Our fellow lawyers are hurting. It is more important than ever to normalize asking and reaching out for help. We need to discuss the problems to heighten our awareness of the need for solutions. The good news is that there are highly effective treatment modalities for each of the issues discussed here and in the study.
There is hope for recovery. Recovery is possible. It is real. I was and am one of the statistics. We need to normalize and humanize the need and the desire to get help. We need to support our colleagues – our friends – while they do so. Recovery is indeed possible. And I am personally and forever grateful that it is. If you or someone you know is struggling with substance misuse or any other mental health struggle, LCL can provide confidential help. Pick up the phone and talk to us about your concerns. That is what I did 26+ years ago. I have never regretted it. Here’s to National Recovery Month!!! (By Jon Tynjala, Executive Director)