The following is an excerpt from the New Jersey Lawyers Assistance Program's newsletter.Welcome New Jersey law students, As you begin the new year, we wish you the best in both your academic and personal life and want you to know that we understand the stressors that come with law school. You are not alone. If you have felt increased stress or anxiety lately, you are among lots of law students facing these issues. Thanks to many law schools participating in recent well-being surveys of law students, we now can see, measure, and work to improve your law school experience. Here is a summary of what has been discovered, as well as our pledge to be here if you, or someone you know, needs us.
This year, students of all ages are facing an educational environment still reeling from the effects of COVID19. For Law Students, this means another layer of stress and uncertainty added to the already higher levels of academic stress they face.
In 2014, a multi-law school survey, “The Survey of Law Student Well-Being” was conducted. It included questions about law student well-being issues not addressed previously, including mental health issues and misuse of prescriptions drugs. It also assessed “help-seeking attitudes.” The results of this study were released in the report “Suffering in Silence: The Survey of Law Student Well-Being and the Reluctance to Seek Help for Substance Use and Metal Health Concerns.”
While this study garnered much attention, it also generated some disagreements about who was responsible for supporting law student well-being. Programs were implemented, but in July of 2022, the results of a follow-up survey were worse that the 2014 survey.
“If we continue to ask our law students to suffer in silence by not advocating for and supporting their advocacy for positive change, we shirk our own responsibilities in aiding the development of their best selves,” wrote David Jaffee, Karen Bender, Ph.D., and Jerome Organ who authored “It is Okay to Not Be Okay,” The 2021 Survey of Law Student Well-Being.
Even with recognizing that effects on mental health during the pandemic could be a factor, changes were statistically significant.
42% increased need for help with “emotional or mental health problems such as feeling sad, blue, anxious, or nervous”
18% increase in depression diagnosis
21% increase in anxiety
11% increase in thoughts of suicide in the past 12 months
The good news is that the report indicates “there is less social stigma associated with help-seeking.” However, mental health questions on bar admission paperwork still keep some from seeking help.
The authors encouraged law schools to view law student well-being as part of “professional formation.”
“While some school administrators may maintain that they are not responsible for the personal well-being of the students, this student development is very much a part of the professional formation now expected at every law school. Accordingly, we need to continue to consider, implement and model best practices for law student well-being, and provide the financial support to accomplish these goals and initiatives,” the report states.
Law Student Well-Being Day is Oct. 10, 2022. Check with your school and our
website for upcoming information.