On Lawyer Suicides

There is an article on CNN on the high rates of suicide among lawyers (trailing fourth after dentists, pharmacists and physicians).

Over the years I have seen a number of lawyers in my practice – typically, very very bright, perfectionistic, dysthymic (“walking cases of depression”), with a dose of OCPD, and a good bit of anger.  I don’t claim to be intimately familiar with this profession but I have long felt that life of a lawyer, particularly, a trial lawyer, is one of the most existentially charged vocational paths.

So, as I read about the high rate of suicides among lawyers, it all makes very good and very sad sense to me:

Competitive Perfectionism + Ethical Dilemmas = Existential Crisis

On a broader note, it occurs to me that very bright people have a particularly dark way of suffering…

 

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And they are apparently too stupid to realize how easy it is to ensure they are called out for their bad behavior.

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Pavel Somov, Ph.D. is a licensed psychologist and the author of “Eating the Moment” (New Harbinger, 2008), “Present Perfect” (NH, 2010), “The Lotus Effect” (NH, 2010), “Smoke Free Smoke Break” (2011), “Reinventing the Meal” (2012), and “Anger Management Jumpstart” (PESI, 2013). He is in private practice in Pittsburgh, PA. Pavel Somov is also on the Advisory Board for the London Mindfulness Center (UK). His book website is www.eatingthemoment.com

Marla Somova, Ph.D. is a licensed psychologist in private practice and an Assistant Professor of Psychology and Counseling at Carlow University in Pittsburgh, PA. She is the co-author of “Smoke Free Smoke Break” (2011).

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    Last reviewed: 21 Jan 2014