
WHY I CREATED THIS SITE
Depression is often a very isolating experience - - even when the depressed person has a supportive and loving group of people to rely on.
In my own life, I often found relief in reading books about depression, spirituality or health and trying to relate the wisdom in those books to my own life as a lawyer.
When I searched on-line for materials to read that would support me in my attempt to cope with depression and my law practice, what I found was sometimes helpful, but in the end, not sufficient.
Read more LWD IN THE NEWS Seminar Receives Praise
The successful Erie County Bar Association seminar, Effective Lawyering: Dealing with the Stresses and Strains of Today's Law Practice, spearheaded by lawyerswithdepression.com creator Dan Lukasik is profiled in this piece from The Daily Record. Read the story
Struggling Against Sadness
This article from the American Bar Association profiles lawyerswithdepression.com, highlighting the sites many features and accompanying efforts to reach out to the legal community. Read the story
Law School Honors Grads
From the Buffalo Law Journal, the state University of New York at Buffalo Law School honors five grads and the newly appointed Dean with the Distinguished Alumni award including lawyerswithdepression.com creator Dan Lukasik. Read the story
When Things Become Too Much
This article from the Niagara Gazette takes a look at the tendency for overachievers to go into the field of law and the inherent danger of handling stress by burying themselves in work. Read the story
Erasing The Stigma
This story from the New York Law Journal explores the stigma surrounding attorney depression and the role that lawyerswithdepression.com plays in combating that stigma. Read the story
Depression Program for Lawyers Wins AwardThe Bar Association of Erie County is being honored by the New York State Bar Association for their efforts to assist lawyers suffering from depression. Read the story Lawyerswithdepression.com Creator Daniel Lukasik Honored
The State University of New York Law Alumni and the New York State Bar Association cite Lawyerswithdepression.com creator Danial Lukasik for work with depression. Read the storyLawyerswithdepression.com Receives Recognition From the Bar Association of Ere County
The Bar Association of Erie County honors lawyerswithdepression.com with an award intended to recognize programs making significant ongoing contributions to the profession and the community. Read the storyOne Attorney's Story
Attorney Dan Lukasik shares his personal struggle with Depression in this article from TRIAL Magazine. Read the storyEven Lawyers Get the Blues
The Wall Street Journal profiles the changing landscape of attorneys and depression. Read the story |  |

FEATURED ARTICLES
A Lawyer's Guide To Dealing With Burnout
Dr. Amiram Elwork is the Director of the Law-Psychology (J.D./Psy. D) Graduate Training Program at Widener University and he provides individual coaching and organizational consulting, and conducts workshops and retreats for lawyers and law firms. Among his many publications, are two books entitled Stress Management for Lawyers and Success Briefs for Lawyers.
When individual lawyers seek the help of a counselor, it is not unusual for the conversation to start with: “I have been thinking about quitting my job or law altogether, but I am not sure what I should go into.” Usual advice on such matters is “slow down. While quitting your job or the law my in fact be the right thing to do, given the risks and costs involved, there should be options to consider only after you truly understand what has happened to you.”
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Why Are Lawyers So Depressed?
Susan Daicoff is an Associate Professor of Law at Florida Coastal School of Law. She is a lawyer and professional psychotherapist. For the past decade, she has been researching and writing on the psychology of lawyers, lawyer personality, lawyer distress and dissatisfaction. She is the author of the book, Lawyer Know Thyself.
Why are so many lawyers depressed? Larry Krieger and Ken Sheldon’s research indicates that the loss of one’s intrinsic values is responsible for the dramatic increase in depression and lowered sense of well being among law students seen in the first year of law school. I often think of this at the “ski slope” graphic representation of the excellent Andy Benjamin, et al. studies done in the 1980's and 1990's on depression in law students. Read more
Meditation Practices For Lawyers
Lewis Richmond is the author of three books: Work as a Spiritual Practice, Healing Lazarus, and A Whole Life’s Work. Besides his role as a founder and president of a software company, he also leads the Vimala Sangha, a Buddhist meditation group, in Mill Valley, California. His personal website is www.lewisrichmond.com, and the website of his meditation group is www.vimalasangha.org.
Allow me to introduce myself as the author of Work as a Spiritual Practice: A Buddhist Approach to Inner-Growth and Satisfaction on the Job. This book, published in 1999, grew out of my experience entering the corporate workplace after 15 years as a full-time student and teacher of Zen Buddhist meditation. Read more
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|  | | Would You Like Us To Give A Presentation? | |
"Depression: Nature and Nurture" The Down and Up Show, depressionisreal.com: Aired March 27, 2008
Dr. Reef Karim speaks with Dr. Gerald Haeffel, an Assistant Professor of the Department of Psychology at the University of Notre Dame about his recent study published in Psychological Science which discusses how depression is caused by both nature and nurture.
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"The Genetics Of Depression" The Down and Up Show, depressionisreal.com: Aired March 20, 2008
Dr.Reef Karim speaks with Dr. Francis McMahon, Chief of the Unit on Genetics of Mood and Anxiety Disorders at The National Institute of Mental Health.
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DEPRESSION IN THE NEWS
Attorney Interrupted Law.com: Small Firm Business takes a look at the tragic story of Hermes Villarreal, a South Texas attorney who took his own life after a bout with acute depression Read the story
Florida Lawyers Assistance
This article from the the Florida Bar News describes how Florida Lawyers Assistance Inc., an organization known for assisting attorneys with substance problems, is increasingly lending help to attorneys with mental health illness. Read the story
Workplace Depression is Undertreated
From medicalnewstoday.com, the Journal of Environmental and Occupational Medicine recently published a series of new studies that suggest workplace depression may be a much bigger problem - with more serious social and economic impacts - than employers realize. Read the story Depression DiversityThis piece from Science Daily takes a look at a new study from the University of Michigan Depression Center that discusses the numerous biological differences in those with depression. Read the story
High Rates Of Physical Illness
This article from medicalnewstoday.com takes a look at a new study published in the British Journal of Psychiatry that found that people with recurrent depression have high rates of common physical illnesses. Read the story
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