<p>i've recently heard from many people that many lawyers are unhappy with their jobs, and that the depression and alcoholic rates for the profession are high. are these things true? thanks!</p>
<p>Might only be rivaled by i-banking, PE, and other Wall Street type jobs.</p>
<p>People don't know what they are getting into when they choose law. Amazingly, when it doesn't meet their expectations, they are unhappy.</p>
<p>a study came out this month discussing the frequency of major depressive episodes among people working in various occupational groups. The boundaries of these groups were fairly broadly drawn, but people working in the "legal field" experienced major depressive episodes less often than the average for all workers.</p>
<p>Here's a link to the study: <a href="http://oas.samhsa.gov/2k7/depression/occupation.pdf%5B/url%5D">http://oas.samhsa.gov/2k7/depression/occupation.pdf</a></p>
<p>The occupational classifications are quite broad. I've come across other studies in the past that indicated that lawyers have higher than usual rates of depression and alcoholism.</p>
<p>There's a 1990 Johns Hopkins study that's often sited for proposition that lawyers have high rates of depression:
<a href="http://www.lawyerswithdepression.com/uploads/dep1.pdf%5B/url%5D">http://www.lawyerswithdepression.com/uploads/dep1.pdf</a></p>
<p>Perhaps that sample is overrepresented by lawyers in small private practice firms in small markets. I'm sure if they took a sample of all biglaw associates, the mean would be a lot higher.</p>
<p>do anyone know why they're so depressed?</p>
<p>maybe the job isn't for them. lots of people have ulterior motives when they take on work.</p>
<p>but i am wondering if there even is a "happy lawyer". lol</p>
<p>A possible reason for depression is that many individuals enter into law without first getting experience in some other field. Therefore, it is more likely that they might enter into law and find out they would like to do something else. The large debt one incurs from attending law school would also put a significant amount of stress on a lawyer. Moreover, the large amount of debt often requires young lawyers to work in law for some time to pay off their debt, which prevents them from moving into another field at first. Working long hours is also a norm in law; this is great for people who are willing to put their career first, yet individuals with families and other obligations are likely to find themselves utterly drained. Lastly, you often have to support a position you do not completely agree with in the field of law. That moral divide is likely to also drain many lawyers. However, it is wise to note that there are happy lawyers who truly enjoy their work; unfortunately, many people only find out they don't like the work involved in being a lawyer until after they have spent six-figures on a law school degree.</p>
<p>yeah, i heard it took this woman 12 years to realize she didn't like law. i guess the living soul is sucked out of them for working so long that they don't even realize if they really like it or not. </p>
<p>does it really cost 6 figures to go to law school? it's only 3 years, and that sounds more than undergrad. well, i guess it costs that much at one of the better ranked law schools. but a lower cost can probably do too, right.</p>
<p>I should have been more clear, it is six-figures paid on the whole for many higher ranked law schools. State schools can be cheaper, but they are by no means cheap in the absolute sense.</p>
<p>its kind of hard to single out a reason or a couple reasons why someone could become depressed in their profession</p>
<p>most Jobs that cause the most depression is partly the individual coupled with long hours, high levels of stress, eating habits, etc. etc.</p>
<p>i think as with any job, its all about finding avenues to let out the aggression and not let work totally consume every aspect of life i.e. working out, taking weekends to relax, time w/family, friends, pets and so on</p>
<p>the thing about getting a Legal education is that there is the possibility that it can be applied to so many other professions....like if you got a Medical Degree and found out later, Medicine wasn't for you, your kinda limited as to what choices are available outside of the medical profession</p>
<p>i wouldn't take a Legal education at face value as there have been many individuals who obtain there Legal Degree and went on to do things outside of the profession that they enjoyed through this learning process</p>
<p>I very much agree with Milton and Payne. Turns out I hate law for the reasons listed, but I have quite a few friends and colleagues happy with their careers.</p>
<p>Oh, and getting a law degree with the idea of doing something 'outside the profession' is a risky move without job experience and solid post-graduation plan. Employers get really afriad to hire you for a variety of reasons.</p>