Pulling Back the Curtain on Bipolar Disorder, 0317 ALBJ, 78 The Alabama Lawyer 138 (2017)
| Author | Amelia H. Griffith, J. |
Amelia H. Griffith, J.
I remember it clearly, and I learned the lesson well.
I was sitting with a group of lawyers at the first firm in which I ever practiced. Everyone was complaining of being sleep-deprived, having trouble sleeping and feeling like the walking dead. Finally, one brave (young) soul said that we had to stay at the office so late that by the time he got home, he could not get to sleep during the precious few hours he had left before he had to hit his mark again. He said that he was considering talking to a doctor for some help with the problem. A little too quickly, I think, the senior attorney in the group said, "Well, I'm not a doctor, but I can give you my prescription: three fingers of single malt right before bed."
Maybe that's what worked for him, and that's all he meant by the comment; however, I remember making a mental note not to bring up any personal problems, physical or mental, at the office. Such things would only be brushed aside with humor.
I was encouraged when I read Robert Thomhill's article in the May 2016 issue of The Alabama Lawyer about addiction problems that many lawyers and their families deal with every day. The reason I was so encouraged by the article was that we, as a profession, used to never talk about alcohol and drug abuse by ourselves or with friends and colleagues, and are still only gradually doing so. We thought we were being loyal by not airing our colleagues' "dirty laundry" when, in fact, we only let the problem get worse until there was no plan, no rehabilitation that could salvage his or her career and license to practice law. Let's face it. The law is a competitive business, and lawyers a re competitive souls. Admitting anything that might indicate the slightest weakness goes against our instincts.
Robert's article, however, is a sign that we are making some steps in the right direction. This changing willingness to discuss addictions and mental illnesses within the profession can mean all the difference in the quality of legal services in the future. Let us educate ourselves about the illnesses that seem to gravitate more to lawyers because of the pressures of the work we do and the lives we live. Maybe we can hang on to more of the good lawyers, while avoiding the pitfalls ourselves.
In my opinion, bipolar disorder...
To continue reading
Request your trial