
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
A Terrible Melancholy: Depression In The Legal Profession LWD creator Dan Lukasik is producing an original documentary film titled A Terrible Melancholy: Depression in the Legal Profession. The Bar Association of Erie County interviews Dan Lukasik about the film and his "groundbreaking" work regarding lawyers and depression. Read the story
For Some Area Lawyers, The Pressure Is Too Much LWD creator Dan Lukasik participates in this feature from the Buffalo News that takes a look at the pressure that members of the legal professio are currently under. Read the story
Lawyers And Depression: An Interview Wih Daniel Lukasik Therese J. Borchard of BeliefNet interviews LWD creator Dan Lukasik for her column Beyond Blue. Read the story
No Longer Their Golden Ticket LWD creator Dan Lukasik participated in this article from The New York Times which explores the changes in job security and compensation in the field of law. Read the story
Overcoming Depression From the American Bar Association's GP Solo, LWD creator Dan Lukasik shares his story of overcoming depression. Read the story
Reflections of a Lawyer at Midlife LWD creator Dan Lukasik wrote this refelctive piece for LawyerAvenue.com. In it he reflects on entering the Fall of his life and finding satisfaction fulfilling his life's purpose in the second half of life. Read the story
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DEPRESSION IN THE NEWS
When You Fell Blue, Why Does Everything Look Gray? Medical News Today takes a look at recently publihed report from researchers at the University of Frieberg in Germany that found that people with depression actually have more difficulty defining a sharp contrast between black and white. Read the story
Staying Busy Translates To Being Happy From Psych Central, this piece interviews one of the researchers involved in a new study which found that extremely active people are happier than people who sit idle. Read the story
Rewards Of Massage Therapy Examiner.com discusses the findings of several new studies which found that massage therapy can be as effective as prescription antidepressants for treating mild to moderate depression. Read the story
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FEATURED ARTICLES
Empathy For Self Helps With Depression Once upon a time, a college freshman seeking to make an appointment with me for a counseling session revealed that in the days past he had experienced suicidal ideation, and now that he was feeling much better he had decided to give me a call. A quick glance at my calendar revealed that I had an eight o' clock opening the following day. I shared with him this news, and there was a pause on the other end of the line. He then thanked me, and asked if I had an opening on the weekend, because he had to be at work the next day. This question called for a pause on my end, and then I asked, "If you had killed yourself, would you be at work tomorrow?" Read more
The Continuing Stigma Of Depression Part of the mission of patient advocacy groups is to reduce the stigma associated with depression. This is noble and important work because historically people who have suffered from depression have tended to suffer in silence and/or not sought treatment because of the shame associated with admitting depression. In the US in the 19th and 20th centuries, virtually every form of mental illness was associated with a moral failing or sign of a weak character.
Seemingly in tandem with the efforts of patient advocacy groups, pharmaceutical companies have expended enormous resources in advertising so that the public will come to see depression as a medical illness. Given that something like 27 million people are taking antidepressants, it is clear that it has become more acceptable to take medications for depression. Read more
The Loss Of Joy During A Depression Anhedonia is the technical term for the inability to experience joy. When people are in the depths of depression, nothing touches them, not the most intensely pleasurable activities, not the most familiar comforts. They are emotionally frozen. In this state, people either have to get professional help or simply wait for weeks or months until the depression lifts by itself; nothing is going to make them feel better. Read more
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