Murtaugh: Big law mental health media coverage soars in 2019

Within legal media, mental health made the jump from invisible to mainstream this year.

It started when attorney Mark Goldstein joined the disclosure club by writing an article for the American Lawyer in February. In March came a feature article on attorney Joseph Milowic, one year after Joe’s disclosure. In May, www.law.com and its affiliate, ALM Publications, announced its entire global newsroom would spend a full year focusing on well-being in the legal profession. ALM named the project Minds over Matters and formed an external advisory board consisting of Joanna Litt, Miriam Beezy, Patrick Krill, Joseph Milowic, Lisa Smith, John Hollway, Mark Goldstein, Brian Cuban and Steven Wall.

The ALM newsroom then published a joint article that featured the mental health disclosure stories of attorneys David Aronstam, Jeena Cho, Jerry Braun, William Putnam and Lisa Smith. They also did a story on attorney Jeremy Connick, who disclosed his mental health struggle after his wife’s death. In July, they published a follow-up article written by Goldstein describing the response he received after his disclosure in February.

The Lawyers Depression Project (LDP), founded by Milowic, which I have been involved with, received several mentions in the articles. For example, the American Lawyer wrote a piece about Orrick chairman and CEO Mitch Zuklie. The article explained that after the death of Baker McKenzie chairman Paul Rawlinson, Zuklie sent a firmwide email highlighting resources for struggling lawyers and employees and mentioned the Lawyers Depression Project.

I was asked by Joe to join the LDP board and serve on the executive committee. The five executive committee members all met in person in New York in June. Booking a flight, getting on a plane and spending two nights with family friends who now live in Astoria made this project feel much more tangible.

I feel very fortunate that I have been able to participate in the mental health movement over the last few years. To witness how things evolved this year and to know that I contributed in a small way to the overall movement filled me up inside. There is now compelling evidence that it is OK for attorneys to talk about their mental health struggles publicly or disclose them to their employers.

The movement is not confined to the legal profession. As I was preparing to write this article, I read about Seth Moulton, a Democratic presidential candidate who shared his personal experience with post-traumatic stress disorder. The article states, “Moulton’s disclosure also marks the first time in the modern era that a presidential candidate from a major party has revealed he or she received mental health treatment.” (“Seth Moulton discloses PTSD, unveils military mental health proposal,” www.politico.com, May 28, 2019, by Alex Thompson.)

So where does this leave us? If an attorney is considering disclosure and they come to me, what should I tell them? How are lawyer assistance programs answering this question now? An individual must ultimately answer that question for themselves. However, they don’t have to go through the disclosure process alone. If you are thinking about disclosing your mental health condition, please feel free to contact me. I can share my experience and connect you with resources and other LDP members who can offer their personal insights.

I was also asked to be a facilitator for the LDP calls and now facilitate one LDP call each month. The facilitator interacts with each person on the call and is responsible for making sure everyone has an opportunity to speak. At the LDP meeting in New York, we discussed the possibility of training for the call facilitators. This motivated me to do the “Question. Persuade. Refer.” training through the QPR institute. They offer a one-hour online individual training called the QPR Online Gatekeeper Training course. There is a one-time cost of $29.95. The course teaches you how to recognize suicide warning signs. Being able to recognize the suicide warning signs allows you to know when to ask the suicide question. I learned that asking the suicide question is the most important step and the most helpful to someone considering suicide. The course materials explain that family, friends and colleagues can ask the suicide question, not just professionals. The materials provide several examples of how to phrase the suicide question. They also give examples of how not to phrase the suicide question. The course then teaches how to respond to the person after you ask the suicide question, and best practices for making a referral to a professional.

I thought the course was very worthwhile. Even though I have personally experienced suicidal thoughts and regularly read articles related to mental health, I had not read much literature on suicide. I realized that even though I have personal experience coping with my condition and have done several one-on-one and group peer support calls, I was not properly equipped to respond to someone on the other line who was considering suicide. Now, I feel more prepared to respond to a mental health emergency, and I am grateful that I gained this knowledge.

Beneficial articles and media

• Mark Goldstein disclosure story: “’Scared. Ashamed. Crippled.’: How One Lawyer Overcame Living With Depression in Big Law,” https://www.law.com/americanlawyer/2019/02/12/scared-ashamed-crippled-how-one-lawyer-overcame-living-with-depression-in-big-law/, Feb. 12, 2019, by Mark S. Goldstein.

• Jeremy Connick disclosure story: “I Didn’t Think I’d Ever Come Back to Work — How a Magic Circle Partner Overcame Personal Trauma Following His Wife’s Death,” https://www.law.com/2019/05/15/i-didnt-think-id-ever-come-back-to-work-how-a-magic-circle-partner-overcame-personal-trauma-following-his-wifes-death-292-46074/, May 15, 2019, by Hannah Roberts.

• Pilot program to help teens: “Mental health first-aid kit: Lady Gaga is working on high school program to reduce stigma,” https://www.today.com/health/mental-health-first-aid-inside-lady-gaga-backed-program-teens-t154454, May 20, 2019, by Marguerite Ward.

• Bipolar disorder and opioid addiction documentary: “Andy Irons: Kissed by God,” directed by Steve Jones and Todd Jones, produced by Enich Harris, 2018.

Mental fitness exercise: One-hour mental health education challenge

Block off one hour on your calendar within the next 30 days to:

• Take an online or in-person course, such as mental health first aid or suicide prevention training;

• Watch a mental health documentary;

• Listen to a mental health talk or podcast; or

• Ask someone you know who deals with a mental health condition to meet for coffee or lunch and listen to their story.

After you complete the challenge, reward yourself.

Hopefully, you will give it a try and feel more prepared to respond to a mental health emergency in your personal or professional life.•

• Reid D. Murtaugh — [email protected] — is an attorney in Lafayette and the founder of Murtaugh Law. Opinions expressed are those of the author.