June 27, 2007 11:23 PM

Lawyers, guns and money don't always mix
Posted by Diane Danielsonat 11:23 PM

O.k., lawyers aren't going out and shooting themselves en masse, but it might be good to lock away the guns cuz a whole heck of a lot of them are suffering from depression.  At least according to a recent article in the Boston Globe.

There is a myriad of reasons why lawyers find themselves spiraling into despair.

Heavy law school debt frequently forces graduates into high-paying jobs at private firms, where intense deadlines, staggering billable-hour requirements, and grinding hours are routine. Even veteran lawyers often find themselves disillusioned by the increasingly business-like practice of law.

The conflict-driven nature of the profession also plays a role, as does traditional legal training, which conditions lawyers to be emotionally withdrawn, a trait that can help them professionally but hurt them personally.

And the personality type frequently drawn to the law -- perfectionist, high-achieving -- is particularly vulnerable to becoming depressed, said Lawrence T. Perera, a lawyer at the Boston firm Hemenway & Barnes and former co chairman of the Boston Bar Association's Peer Support Committee.

"You add those up and it's a huge toll on a person -- even a very, very stable and capable person," Perera said. "Excessive pressure causes depression. It breaks people in one form or another."