Lawyers, law students and depression
Newsflash - upcoming events - RUOK?Arvo 27 November 2009
The RUOK? website at http://www.ruokday.com.au/p_RUOK_Arvo.aspx describes the RUOK? initiative this way:
"RUOK?Arvo is on Friday November 27, 2009 and is dedicated to reducing stress and depression in the workplace by encouraging work mates to connect and support each other. Ultimately the aim is to help reduce Australia's shockingly high suicide rate. RUOK?Arvo is the workplace prelude to RUOK?Day which will be on Sunday November 29, 2009.
On that Friday afternoon, all workers will be invited to connect with one person they care about - either a loved one or work colleague - and ask RUOK? Resources to help with awareness, how to ask RUOK, how to say "I'm not OK", and support services to refer people to are on this website."
Local research findings confirm international research findings to the effect that law students and lawyers exhibit higher levels of psychological distress and depression than other people in the community of the same age and sex (see Courting the Blues- below). This sorry fact has a direct relevance to the work of the Commission because of the likelihood that lawyers who are psychologically distressed will one way or another reveal their distress in conduct that falls short of the standard of competence and diligence and the ethical standards that members of the public and their professional peers are entitled to expect of them.
We are unaware of any research which bears out an assumption to this effect but it seems likely to be true. Certainly psychological distress is the elephant in the room in a large proportion of the matters we deal with at the Commission. Its explicitly a factor in many of the matters that find their way to the disciplinary bodies. Our best guess is that it features in 1 in 3 of all the matters we deal with and the professional indemnity insurers tell us they reckon it features in about 1 in 3 of all professional negligence matters also.
We have joined with the Queensland Law Society (the QLS), the Bar Association of Queensland (the BAQ) , the College of Law, Lexon Insurance, LawCare and other industry representatives to form the Working Group on Well-being and Depression in the Queensland Legal Profession. We have a common interest in strategising how best to address the issue out of a concern not only for the welfare of lawyers who are struggling to cope and their families but their clients and others who depend on their good judgment and clear thinking and whose interests can only too easily be compromised.
We will make it a priority over the year ahead to find ways in conjunction with the QLS and the BAQ in particular to use our respective regulatory powers to best advantage to give respondent practitioners appropriate professional and personal support should they need it at the same time as taking appropriate measures including disciplinary measures if needs be to protect their clients and the public.
For further information see:
- Courting the Blues: Attitudes towards depression in Australian law students and legal practitioners, Brain and Mind Research Institute Monograph 2009-1
- Courting the Blues a summary (a brief summary of the Courting the Blues report)
- The mental health of Australian lawyers: a challenge for the law schools and the profession -slides for Tristan Jepson Memorial Lecture, Professor Ian Hickie, Executive Director, Brain and Mind Research Institute, 18 September 2008
- Depression in Australian Law Schools: A handbook for law students and law student societies - an excellent resource published by the Australian Law Students Association
- Lawyers, Emotional Distress and Regulation: a speech by the Legal Services Commissioner at the Bar Association of Queensland Annual Conference, March 2009.
Some useful resources:
- LawCare the Queensland Law Society provides a confidential counselling and support service for its members and their families:
- Moodgym - an interactive web program designed to prevent and decrease depressive symptoms. It was designed for young people but is helpful for people of all ages. It consists of five modules - an interactive game, anxiety and depression assessments, relaxation audio, a workbook and feedback assessment - and is currently being trialled by the Brain and Mind Research Institute for use as an adjunct therapy in general practice. It is free and confidential:
- beyondblue is a bipartisan initiative of the Australian, state and territory governments to raise community awareness about depression and reducing stigma associated with the illness:
- the Black Dog Institute is a not for profit, educational, research and clinical service which offers specialist expertise in relation to depression and bipolar disorder:
- depressioNET provides counselling, peer support and information services for people over 18 years of age which may be of assistance in preventing, managing or overcoming depression:
- click http://www.depressionservices.org.au/what-resources-are-available.html or, more generally
- click http://www.depressionservices.org.au/
- headspace the National Youth Mental Health Foundation provides services to young people aged 12-25 who are dealing with mental health and alcohol and substance abuse issues:
- the Centre for Mental Health Research, the Australian National University: