From the President
| Publication year | 2023 |
| Pages | 0006 |
Mental Health: A Constant Focus
Oct. 10 is the annual observance of World Mental Health Day, which is intended to raise awareness of mental health issues around the world and improve mental health care to all populations. It is also a good opportunity for legal organizations to take stock of the increased efforts to address mental health within our profession over the past several years.
Current data suggests that mental health among lawyers is not improving. As with the general population—but more so—it is worsening. The results of a survey conducted earlier this year by ALM/Law.com revealed that, despite increased wellness initiatives on the part of law firms and law-related organizations, "incidences of mental health issues went up slightly, even if attorneys said their firms were offering more help and slowly destigmatizing the subject."
In the survey, more than 71% of the lawyers queried said they had anxiety, which is up 5% over 2022. Those who said they were depressed rose from 35% to 38%, while the percentage of lawyers who said they had another mental health issue more than doubled from 14.6% in 2022 to 31.2% this year.
In reporting the data, Dan Roe of ALM/Law.com surmised, "A cynic's take would be to write off law firms' mental health efforts as lip service, a thinly veiled effort to keep up with the times while continuing to demand most of their employees' waking hours." But, Roe also noted, it could be "too early to tell how effective law firms' mental health efforts will be," especially in light of trauma brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic.
The raw data might indicate that mental health among lawyers is not improving and, in fact, is getting worse. But in addition to the effects of COVID, the higher number of incidences could also mean that as a result of the legal community's ongoing mental health awareness initiatives and efforts to reduce the stigma, lawyers now feel freer to admit they are struggling—whether answering a survey or making the decision to seek help. If so, that's a positive development.
Among the services the State Bar offers toward mental health care for our members is the Lawyer Assistance Program (LAP), a confidential service outsourced to CorpCare Associates Inc. to help Georgia lawyers and judges with difficulties in their professional and personal lives. All Bar members are entitled to six prepaid clinical counseling sessions per issue, per calendar year.
The program provides a broad range of helping services to members seeking assistance with depression, stress, alcohol/ drug abuse, family problems, workplace conflicts, psychological and other issues. In addition to the prepaid counseling sessions, LAP offers a 24/7 hotline at 800327-9631 for Bar members with a problem that is causing significant concern.
The number of State Bar members using their six prepaid counseling sessions has steadily increased over the past several years. According to Nicole Browning, customer service manager for CorpCare, the overall utilization rate among our 54,000-plus Bar members rose from 0.82% in 2018 to 1.39% in 2021 and is projected to be near 1.5% at the end of this calendar year.
From Jan. 1 through Sept. 27, CorpCare opened 459 cases. These included 10 telephone consultations, providing in-the-moment support. The top referral sources were the State Bar's website (167) and the #UseYour6 hashtag (112). Approximately 54% of those who reached out had never used these services before.
Still, too many Bar members are unaware of these services. In every speech I give to Bar groups, I devote some time to mental...
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