Fictional Scenarios Portray Suicide Prevention Efforts for Lawyers
The NH Lawyers Assistance Program collaborated with the NH Coalition for Suicide Prevention to develop a series of articles targeted to lawyers, a group at high risk for suicide and depression, using fictional scenarios of how colleagues could help a troubled small-town lawyer.
The legal profession - lawyers, judges and law students in particular –are a high-risk group for suicide and depression due to occupational stress.
According to research backed by the American Bar Association in 2016, lawyers and others in the legal profession experience depression and substance abuse at higher rates than the general population.
More recently, a study published in 2021 by the Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicinefound that a “substantial” percentage of lawyers and others in the legal profession surveyed on validated questionnaires appeared to have symptoms of depression and thoughts of suicide.
This survey of 654 legal professionals found that 17.5% of respondents were experiencing symptoms equivalent to a diagnosis of a major depressive disorder, and when asked about the frequency of depression respondents were“significantly more likely to report suicidal ideation for “several days” and “more than half the days” as compared with the general working population.
Because of the prevalence of depression and substance use disorder in the legal profession, nearly every state has some form of alawyer assistance program (LAPs) created to support lawyers, judges, students and other legal professionals in coping with the stresses of the profession.
In New Hampshire, the NH Lawyers Assistance Program partnered with the NH Coalition for Suicide Prevention to produce two articles for the Bar News, a publication distributed to every person licensed to practice law in the state.
The purpose of the articles was to illustrate, through fictional scenarios, how mental illness and emotional challenges manifest themselves in settings familiar to lawyers in a small state. The article promoted the services of the NH Lawyers Assistance Program – including special confidentiality protections –and identified obstacles that deter people in the field from addressing these issues. A specific goal of the articles was to provide positive examples of how to help those in need.
The first article introduced readers to a fictional character, small-town lawyer Andy Kreuger, in the fictional Abenaki County in New Hampshire. The article begins with Andy’scolleagues recounting the things they said and did - or rather,that they did not say or do - whensigns of his emotional stress and depression began to show. It is notable that several colleagues noticedmistakes and a decline in their colleague’s professional performance, along with signs of emotional distress, but they were not sure how to address them. Jill O’Neill, executive director of NHLAP, explains that this fictional scenario demonstrated the inherent reluctance of colleagues in a high-stakes professional environment to step out of their accustomed roles.
“They are afraid to speak of their concerns about their colleague until it reaches a certain point – but they may be waiting too long,” O’Neill said in the article. Fortunately, many times people who are struggling with mental health issues are grateful to be connected to a mental health professional - even if they did not initiate the contact. “People are afraid to make a referral for fear of damaging someone’s reputation, but more often than not, theperson in question is receptive to our help,” O’Neill said.
Part 2 of the article, published in the July issue of the Bar News, replayedthe Andy Kreuger scenario to show the pointwhere his friends are able to intervene constructively. In a pivotal momentin the article, Julian Davis, an NHLAP volunteer who is trained in how to intervene with colleagues who have been identified as possibly having emotional or mental difficulties, approaches the troubled lawyer Kreuger.
A few days later, Julian Davis sat outside the Abenaki County building drinking coffee with Andy. “Andy, I am not the only person to notice you seem down lately.” He did not try to fill the silence that followed as Andy sat across from him, shoulders hunched,gripping his cup. Andy swirled his coffee around for a bit and then started to speak without looking up.
“It’s a problem with a mistake I made, that turned out to be bigger than I ever thought it could get. I don’t know how to fix it. I’m gonna get sued, or worse.”
Julian pointed out that because he ist a volunteer for the NH Lawyers Assistance Program, anything Andy shared would be confidential under Supreme Court rule 58.8, which covers volunteers. Andy then told Julian more about a deal gone bad, the mistake he’d made, and the dollars at stake. His attempt to fix the mistake only made things worse. “I don’t see a way out of this,” Andy said, still not looking up. “I’ll be broke and my reputation will be gone.” Julian, who knew less about real estate law than Andy, made some legal suggestions, but his real focus was on Andy’s state of mind.
“Andy, have you talked to anyone else about this?” Julian asked. “It seems like you are stuck in a place where you are afraid to do anything. What are some different steps you could take next?” They continued to talk until the fall chill made them uncomfortable. Julian offered to follow Andy home so they could talk some more.
At Andy’s house, after more coffee was made, Julian looked around the room and asked, “Have you ever wished you could go to sleep and not wake up?”
Andy nodded. He had. After a few minutes of listening to the ticking of an old clock, Julian asked Andy, “Have you thought about killing yourself?”
Andy opened his mouth, paused, then said, “No, I have not gotten to that point yet.” JAndy continued: “There’s no way I could do it with my rifle. My dad gave me that gun.”
“Since all this came up,” Julian said. “Have you done anything, prepared to do anything, or started to do anything – to end your life?”
Andy straightened up, as if he had decided something. “If I did, I would use my pistol,” he declared.
“Andy, why don’t I keep your pistol for you for a while until we help you get things cleared up,” Julian said. Andy immediately rose, went to a chest of drawers near the bedroom door, and came back with the gun wrapped in a towel.
“Yeah, you keep it,” he said, placing the gun on the table. He looked at the other end of the table where a banker’s box and stacks of files sat. “Maybe I will talk to a lawyer about this. Maybe there is another way to look at it.”
“Andy, I am no expert on this. I want to make sure we are doing all we can to keep you safe,” Julian said. “I am going to call the mental health hotline and have you talk to them. I will be right here, too.” As guided by the crisis hotline clinician, Andy agreed thatJulian shouldtemporarily hold onto the rifle, as well. Julian promised to keep them locked in a gun safe. After the call, Andy reported feeling a burden lifted in sharing his emotional pain. Julian said: “Andy, you are part of this community. We need you around here.”
Getting back in his car, the guns locked in the trunk, Julian took a deep breath. He had put Andy in touch with a mental health crisis hotline, told him he would call him the next day, and assured him he would be there for him throughout. The tenseness Julian had felt during the entire encounter relaxed a little. Andy wasn’t out of the woods yet, but he had taken a step back from a very dark place.
The article ended with a real-life quotation from a survivor of a suicide attempt stressing the value of caring individuals reaching out.
Kevin Hines, in an almost stranger-than-fiction story, survived a leap from the famed Golden Gate Bridge in 2000. “The moment I hit free fall was an instant regret. I recognized that I made the greatest mistake in my life, and I thought it was too late,” says Hines, who has gone to become a speaker and author on suicide prevention.
Hines urges anyone who sees someone suffering and upset to reach out to them. This person struggling with thoughts of suicide, “needs to hear what I needed to hear. That we care about you, your life does matter, and that all we want is for you to stay,” he says. “If someone had looked at me on that bridge or on that bus and said that to me, I would have begged for help.”
The zerosuicidesnh.org website has a Frequently Asked Questions section with tips on what to do if you believe someone is considering suicide and a Resources section with links, some directed to specific populations such as veterans, that can offer help.
NHLAP offers confidential support at no cost to legal professionals, concerned colleagues, and family members. Find out more at www.lapnh.org or call 877-224-6060.
Also, if you or someone you know is suicidal or in emotional distress, contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 988.Trained crisis workers are available to talk 24 hours a day, seven days a week.