Research Data Bank

General literature on mental health issues in the legal profession

Barnett, Martha W. (2001) Integrating Treatment into the Justice System. American Bar Association: GP/Solo, 18(5).

Benjamin, G. Andrew H.; Kaszniak, Alfred; Sales, Bruce; Shanfield, Stephen B (Spring, 1986) The Role of Legal Education in Producing Psychological Distress among Law Students and Lawyers. American Bar Foundation Research Journal, 11(2):225-252.

Benjamin, G.A, Darling, E.J., and Sales, B. (1990) The Prevalence of Depression, Alcohol Abuse and Cocaine Abuse Amongst United States Lawyers. International Journal of Law and Psychiatry, 13(3):233-246.

Benjamin, G., Sales, B & Darling, E (1992) Comprehensive Lawyer Assistance Programs, Justification and Model, Law & Psychology Review, 16:113-136.

Huang, Peter and Swedloff, Rick (2008) Authentic Happiness & Meaning At Law Firms. Syracuse Law Review, Forthcoming; Temple University Legal Studies Research Paper No. 2008-52.

Jones, Nancy Byerly (2001) The Dangerous Link Between Chronic Office Chaos, Stress, Depression, and Substance Abuse. American Bar Association: GPSOLO, 18(5).  

Lesnick, Howard; Seitelman, Jeffrey K; and Benjamin S. Siegel. (Feb., 1986) Lawyers and Doctors Face the Perils of Practice. The Hastings Center Report, 16(1):46.

Pfeiffer, Sacha (2007) Law and a disorder: As profession changes, support group sees more attorneys seeking mental health help. The Boston Globe. June 27.

Schiltz, Patrick, J (1999) On Being a Happy, Healthy, and Ethical Member of an Unhappy, Unhealthy, and Unethical Profession. Vanderbilt Law Review, 52:874-81

Seligman, Martin E., Verkuil, Paul R., & Hang, Terry H. (2001) Why Lawyers are Unhappy. Cardozo Law Review, 23:33.

Literature on alcohol and drug issues in the legal profession

Allan, Rick (1997) Alcoholism, Drug Abuse and Lawyers: Are We Ready to Address the Denial? Creighton Law Review, 31(1).  

Beck, Connie; Sales, Bruce; and Benjamin, Andrew (1995) Lawyer Distress: Alcohol-Related Problems and Other Psychological Concerns Among a Sample of Practicing Lawyers. Journal of Law and Health, 10(1).

Bloom, Michael A & Carol Lynn Wallinger (1988) Lawyers and Alcoholism: Is it Time for a New Approach? Temple Law Review, 61:1409.

Drogin, Eric (1991) Alcoholism in the Legal Profession: Psychological and Legal Perspectives and Interventions. Law & Psychology Review, 15. 

Edwards, Timothy D. & Van Rybroek, Gregory (2007) Addiction and Attorneys: Confronting the Denial, Wisconsin Lawyer.

Greiner, Mary (2001) Demystifying 12-Step Programs. American Bar Association: GPSOLO, 18(5).

McAlpin, Cindy (2006) Bumps in the Road III: Out of the Shadows Women and Addiction. American Bar Association: GPSOLO, 23(8).

Shore, Elsie (2001) Relationships Between Drinking and Type of Practice among U.S. Female and Male Attorneys. Journal of Social Psychology, 141(5):650-659.

Literature on depression in the legal profession

Benzoni, Jim (2012) Depression: The Soul Speaks. The Iowa Lawyer, 72(6).  

Eaton, W., Anthony, J. C., Mandell, W. M., & Garrison, R. A. (1990). Occupations and the prevalence of major depressive disorder. Journal of Occupational Medicine, 32(11):1079-1087.     

Goren, T., & Smith, B. (2001). Depression as a mitigating factor in lawyer discipline. Georgetown Journal of Legal Ethics, 14(4):1081-1098.

Hagan, John and Kay, Fiona (March 2007) Even Lawyers Get the Blues: Gender, Depression, and Job Satisfaction in Legal Practice. Law & Society Review, 41(1):51-78.         

Pulliam, Page Thead (2008) Lawyer Depression: Taking a Closer Look at First-Time Ethics Offenders. The Journal of the Legal Profession, 32:289.

State Bar of Montana (2012) Special Issue on Lawyers, Depression, and Suicide. Montana Lawyer, 37(8).  

Syverud, K., & Schiltz, P. (1999). On being a happy, healthy, and ethical member of an unhappy, unhealthy, and unethical profession. Vanderbilt Law Review, 52(4):869-951.

Literature on secondary trauma in the legal profession

Murray, D. C., & Royer, J. M. (2008). The cost of justice: a desk manual on vicarious trauma. vicarious traumatization: The corrosive consequences of law practice for criminal justice and family law practitioners.  

Oregon Attorney Assistance Program (2011) A Traumatic Toll on Lawyers and Judges. In Sight for Oregon Lawyers and Judges, 80.

Levin, Andrew; Besser, Avi; Albert, Linda; Smith, Deborah; and Neria, Yuval (2012) The Effect of Attorneys’ Work With Trauma-Exposed Clients on PTSD Symptoms, Depression, and Functional Impairment: A Cross-Lagged Longitudinal Study. Law and Human Behavior.  

Levin, Andrew; Albert, Linda; Besser, Avi; Smith, Deborah; Zelenski, Alex; Rosenkranz, Stacey; and Neria, Yuval (2011) Secondary Traumatic Stress in Attorneys and Their Administrative Support Staff Working With Trauma-Exposed Clients. The Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease, 199(12): 946-55.  

Molvig, Dianne (2011) The Toll of Trauma. Wisconsin Lawyer. Winter Issue.

Literature on stress and burnout in the legal profession

Jackson, Susan; Turner, Jon A.; Brief, Arthur P. (Oct. 1987) Correlates of Burnout Among Public Service Lawyers. Journal of Occupational Behavior, 8(4):339-349.  

Schenker, Marc, Eaton, Muzza, Green, Rochelle & Samuels, Steven (1997) Self-Reported Stress and Reproductive Health of Female Lawyers. Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, 39(6):556-568.

Literature on gambling in the legal profession

Ashe, Paul R (2001) Other Bumps in the Road: Gambling. American Bar Association: GPSOLO, Volume 18, Number 5.

Chadwick, Meloney Crawford (2004) Bumps in the Road II. American Bar Association: GPSOLO, 21(7).

Literature on law students and mental health

Ass’n of American Law Schools Comm. (1993) Report of the AALS Special Committee on the Problem of Substance Abuse in Law Schools.  

Benjamin, G. Andrew H; Kaszniak, Alfred; Sales, Bruce; Shanfield, Stephen. (Spring 1986). The Role of Legal Education in Producing Psychological Distress among Law Students and Lawyers. American Bar Foundation Research Journal, 11(2):225-252.

Boston, Gerald W (1997) Chemical Dependency in Legal Education: Problems and Strategies, 76 Mich. B.J. 298-301.

Dammeyer, Matthew and Narina Nunez. Anxiety and Depression among Law Students: Current Knowledge and Future Directions. Law and Human Behavior, 23(1):55-73.    

Executive Summary of the Report of the Association of American Law School’s Special Committee on Problems of Substance Abuse in Law Schools, 44 J. Legal Educ. 35-80 (1994)

Jolly-Ryan, Jennifer (2009) Promoting Mental Health In Law School: What Law Schools Can Do For Law Students To Help Them Become Happy, Mentally Healthy Lawyers. University of Louisville Law Review, 48:95.

Kreiger, Lawrence S. and Sheldon, Kennon M., Does Legal Education Have Negative Effects on Law Students? Evaluating Changes in Motivation, Values, and Well-Being (September 2002). FSU College of Law, Public Law Research Paper No. 65.

Maloney, Bridget A (2001) Distress Among the Legal Profession: What Law Schools Can Do About It. Thomas J. White Center on Law & Government Notre Dame Journal of Law, Ethics & Public Polic, 15:307.

McKinney, Ruth Ann (2000) Depression and Anxiety in Law Students: Are We Part of the Problem and Can We Be Part of the Solution? The Journal of the Legal Writing Institute Conference. July 19-22.