“I’m one of them,” quipped Jesse in a staccato voice. “One of whom,” replied the professional counselor. “Oh, you know, one of those lawyers branded a success. It looks like it’s working; that is, on the outside. But, on the inside it’s not happening!” Jesse continued, “I’m thinking: ‘Is this really what I want from my career […]
We’ve all heard the phrase “dry drunk, ” referring to a person who is alcoholic and who has stopped drinking, but who has not done anything to address the underlying emotional and psychological issues, which his or her drinking medicated. Recent experience suggests there may also be something similar for the person who suffers from […]
One of the great difficulties these days with contracting a serious illness is that the disease makes us tired, emotional, vulnerable, and uncertain at a time when we most need to be mentally sharp, resourceful and diligent in order to reach out and determine the most effective treatment. This is especially true with diseases like […]
In the years between 1984 and 1993, the Mecklenburg County Bar Association in Charlotte, NC lost eight members to suicide. Put in the context of my arrival as the bar’s first executive director in 1984, this translates to eight suicides in nine years. Seven men and one woman took their lives in that span of […]
In a recent column, I mentioned the results of Mary Howerton’s doctoral research. Mary is the former director of the Mecklenburg County Bar and a member of the Lawyer Assistance Program Board. Her doctoral research, concerning the quality of well-being of lawyers in North Carolina, revealed that over 27% of the lawyers in her study […]
Keith Yamashita is the hot item right now in advising corporations that have hit a brick wall. He is a 37-year-old principal in a business consulting firm on the West Coast known as Stone Yamashita Partners. His skill has been in identifying structural and systemic problems in a company or its leaders. His firm has […]
Suicide recently received national attention of the President of the United States, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS), the Surgeon General, the Center for Disease Control and the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Administration (SAMSHA). The amplified concern related to the increased prevalence of suicidal thoughts and behaviors resulted in the aforementioned […]
The headline on the May 7, 2002, edition of The Charlotte Observer was: “Depression Study: Placebos Work, Too.” The story went on to say that after millions of prescriptions for Prozac, Paxil, and Zoloft and tens of billons of dollars spent on these prescriptions that treat depression, the jury was finally in. Anti-depressant medications work; and so […]
The unhappiness paradox is one lawyers share, as much or more, than any other group in our culture. The richer we have grown as a society, the more dissatisfied we have become. The 1950’s were the happiest decade of the century. Since then the divorce rate has doubled, the teen suicide rate has tripled, recorded […]
One out of five Americans experiences mental illness each year; however, the majority of those who need treatment do not get it. This is the conclusion of the first-ever US Surgeon General’s report on mental health which was released by Surgeon General David Satcher in December 1999. That there are so many of our nation’s […]
I didn’t consider alcohol as a remedy for my unhappiness and depression in high school. I was introverted, although active in school activities, but I never felt like I belonged in social situations. While my classmates were having fun outside the classroom, I was at home reading a book. I discovered alcohol when I was […]
I am forty-six years old and have been a lawyer since 1976. I practice in a Piedmont city. I concentrate in civil litigation. Martindale Hubbell has give me an “av” rating, which I consider to be almost meaningless but which I mention because it may help you identify with my type, whatever that is. I […]