Broken hearted idealists
Posted: Thu Jun 14, 2012 8:00 am
http://newsdemocratleader.com/bookmark/ ... 0idealists
A couple weeks ago, a friend of mine committed suicide. He was a little younger than me. And he was a lawyer. I’ve had four friends commit suicide in recent years. All lawyers.Is there any link between these horrible events and their profession?Only God knows. Suicide is the most unfathomable of tragedies.But I do know this.According to a major study conducted 20 years ago by the National Institute for Safety and Health, lawyers were twice as likely to commit suicide as the general population. Members of the legal profession most at risk were males between the ages of 48-65. All my deceased friends were men.A survey by John Hopkins University among 10,000 adults showed that, of all occupational groups, attorneys suffered from the highest signs of clinical depression. Most lawyers tend to focus on the problems of their own clients and let their own mental and emotional needs go unattended.A recent report by Michael Cohen, Executive Director of Florida’s Legal Association, states that 15-18 percent of their group are alcoholics, as opposed to 10 percent of the general population.While the research is limited in this area, indications are that lawyers are more likely to divorce than members of other professions.
