President ’ s Column
their clients . Healthier lawyers improve the image of the bar . Most importantly , we ’ re talking about our colleagues . Helping each other is the right thing to do .
Yes , we could leave lawyers who are coping with substance abuse and mental health disorders to themselves . But if we do , not only will we leave fewer healthier lawyers to help others , we will leave fewer healthier lawyers .
It ’ s time to help . Financial assistance to the Vermont Lawyers Assistance Program will likely be one of the best ways to help . I will keep the membership posted on what the Board of Bar Managers recommends as we begin to focus on this important issue . ____________________
1
The press release is HERE ( http :// www . americanbar . org / news / abanews / aba-news-archives / 2016 / 02 / aba _ hazelden _ betty . html ). The full study is at http :// journals . lww . com / journaladdictionmedicine / pages / default . aspx .
2
“ Our research reveals a concerning amount of behavioral health problems among attorneys in the United States . Our most significant findings are the rates of hazardous , harmful , and potentially alcohol dependent drinking and high rates of depression and anxiety symptoms . We found positive AUDIT screens for 20.6 % of our sample ; in comparison , 11.8 % of a broad , highly educated workforce screened positive on the same measure ( Matano et al ., 2003 ). Among physicians and surgeons , Oreskovich et al . ( 2012 ) found that 15 % screened positive on the AUDIT- C subscale focused on the quantity and frequency of use , whereas 36.4 % of our sample screened positive on the same subscale . While rates of problematic drinking in our sample are generally consistent with those reported by Benjamin et al . ( 1990 ) in their study of attorneys ( 18 %), we found considerably higher rates of mental health distress .”
3
New Hampshire Bar Association , Bar News , “ Study : Lawyer Drinking Rates Staggering ” ( Kristen Senz , February 17 , 2016 ). https :// www . nhbar . org / publications / display-news-issue . asp ? id = 8245
4 https :// vtbarcounsel . wordpress . com / 2016 / 03 / 03 / lawyers-helping-lawyers /
5 https :// vtbarcounsel . wordpress . com / 2016 / 10 / 07 / lawyers-helping-lawyers-part-2 /
6 www . lapvt . org
7 http :// www . americanbar . org / groups / lawyer _ assistance . html
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In my experience , many believe that it ’ s middle-aged and older lawyers who typically confront behavioral health problems . In fact , as reported by the ABA Journal , the Hazelden Study concluded that it ’ s younger lawyers who are most at risk ( http :// www . abajournal . com / magazine / article / young _ lawyers _ most _ at _ risk _ substance _ abuse _ study _ says ).
6 THE VERMONT BAR JOURNAL • WINTER 2016-17 www . vtbar . org