News Post

The Alabama Lawyer Assistance Program is pleased to support the efforts of Pamela Pierson, Professor of Law at the University of Alabama School of Law. She and her colleagues have developed a stress study and have been involved in gathering data. She has requested our cooperation here at the bar to have the study available online and to encourage attorneys around the state to participate in the study.

Mental Health issues such as depression, anxiety, substance abuse, and bipolar disorder and the tragic reality of suicide among attorneys have become topics of urgency among many around the country. It is widely known that attorneys suffer from depression and substance use disorders at roughly twice the rate of the general population, and that the suicide rate is also twice that of the general population. We want to encourage all of you to participate in this survey. It will not take much of your time, and it may play an important role in identifying those traits that precipitate unhealthy stress and other mental health issues, as well as those traits of “stress hardiness” that seem to be possessed by those who handle stress well.

We applaud the efforts of Ms. Pierson and her colleagues, and we encourage attorneys around the state to take a few minutes to complete the survey.

Click here for the link to the survey. The results are completely confidential. This version requires responses so you will have to take it to review it.

Robert Thornhill, MS, LPC, Director
Alabama Lawyer Assistance Program