October 6 to October 12 marks the recognition of mental illness awareness week and here’s what we know about mental illness. We know that mental illness does not discriminate. We know that it reaches across all racial, socio-economic, geographic, and professional lines. For lawyers the statistics are alarming. They are 3.6 times more likely to be depressed, 28 percent of employed lawyers suffer from depression, 19 percent have symptoms of anxiety, and 21 percent are problem drinkers.
To address this pervasive issue, open up the dialogue, and fight the stigma surrounding mental illness in the law profession, we sat down with Mark Goldstein ’10 who is at the forefront of these efforts. In February of 2019, Mark wrote a powerful op-ed published in The American Lawyer where he opened up about his own mental health struggles. He talked with us about how his mental health issues manifested themselves, the outpouring of support he received after the article published, and what it is was like returning to work after taking a mental health leave. He addresses the reasons why mental illness is so stigmatized among lawyers and law students and things that can be done to change this. We are grateful to Mark for his bravery and candor in sharing his story and his efforts to end the stigma for others who share his struggles.