JUST PUBLISHED:

Groundbreaking New Research on Lawyer Suicide Risk

"Stressed, Lonely, and Overcommitted: Predictors of Lawyer Suicide Risk"

We are pleased to announce the publication of essential new research, conducted in collaboration with the California Lawyers Association and D.C. Bar, that provides the beginnings of a data-driven formula for successfully mitigating suicide risk and ultimately saving lives.

Titled “Stressed, Lonely, and Overcommitted: Predictors of Lawyer Suicide Risk,” the findings were published February 11, 2023 in the peer-reviewed scientific journal Healthcare.

Using a random sample of approximately 2,000 practicing lawyers, this innovative study examined the relationship between thoughts of suicide and various factors that negatively and disproportionately affect lawyers including perceived stress, loneliness, work overcommitment, work-family conflict, alcohol use, and prior mental health diagnosis.

Key findings from the study:

•   Lawyers were twice as likely as the general population to experience suicidal ideation.

•   Perceived stress was the number one predictor of suicidality; compared to lawyers with low stress, those with high stress were a remarkable 22 times more likely to contemplate suicide, and lawyers with intermediate levels of stress were 5.5 times more likely.

•   Lonely lawyers are nearly 3 times more likely to contemplate suicide, and those who are highly over-committed to work more than twice as likely.

•   Male lawyers are twice as likely to contemplate suicide, a notable difference from the general population where women experience higher levels of suicidal ideation. Prior mental health diagnosis also increased risk of suicidal ideation.

•   A significantly greater proportion of lawyers who contemplated suicide said that working in the legal profession was detrimental to their mental health and contributed to their substance use and feelings of burnout.

•   The profile of a lawyer with the highest risk for suicide is a lonely or socially isolated male with a high level of unmanageable stress, who is overly committed to their work, and may have a history of mental health problems. The heightened risk of suicidal ideation extends well beyond this specific profile.

Key takeaways for legal employers and other stakeholders:

•   A twofold strategy whereby stressors in lawyers’ lives are reduced, and their stress tolerance is enhanced, would seem to be the most efficacious approach for mitigating the stress-suicidality risk in this population.

•   Considering the profound impact of stress on lawyer suicidality, all options should be considered for mitigating stress, including an examination and recalibration of attitudes, norms, and cultures relating to their work.

•   Employers may be able to help mitigate some of the loneliness their lawyers experience by making collaboration and regular social interactions in the work environment more of a priority.

•   Given the high rates of alcohol misuse among lawyers, efforts to combat loneliness and isolation should avoid reliance on alcohol-based events as a primary means of increasing socialization and connection.

•   By raising awareness of the notable downsides of being too committed to one’s work, encouraging lawyers to set appropriate boundaries in their lives, and reframing notions of success, the legal profession may be able to temper the harmful effects of work overcommitment.