Mental Health and The Holidays, 1117 ALBJ, 78 The Alabama Lawyer 456 (2017)

• Author: By Robert Thornhill
• Position: Vol. 78 6 Pg. 456

Mental Health and The Holidays

Vol. 78 No. 6 Pg. 456

Alabama Bar Lawyer

November, 2017

By Robert Thornhill

The holiday season is upon us!

For many this is a time of joy and fellowship, of giving and receiving, and a time for families to reunite and share their faith and love for one another. For others, the holidays have come to be associated with prior tragedies, such as the death of a loved one or the untimely ending of a cherished relationship. For these people, the holidays have become a time of struggle and depressed mood, and a season that must be "endured" rather than celebrated. And then there are those who have a loved one in the throes of active addiction or are experiencing the symptoms of undiagnosed or untreated mental health issues such as depression or anxiety disorder. For these unfortunate people, the holiday season has become a time of fear, uncertainty, frustration and despair.

The rate of addiction, depression and anxiety among attorneys is far greater than that of the general population. We know that there are many legal professionals who are struggling with these issues on their own, without the benefit of evaluation or treatment. The sad t ruth is that, without treatment, these conditions will only get worse over time, and will eventually and inevitably lead to consequences such as loss of law license, legal charges such as DUI or domestic violence, loss of standing within the legal profession and the community, destruction of...