Attorneys, Judges and law students disproportionately struggle with depression.  Research out of the University of AZ finds that 19% of lawyers suffer from depression at any given time. Research out of the University of Washington finds that 40% of law students have suffered with depression by the time the graduate. Why is depression so significantly higher in the legal community?  We explore this important topic with attorney, and mental health advocate Dan Lukasik.

 
From Dan's Website:
Dan is a 1988 graduate of the University at Buffalo School of Law in Buffalo, New York and a managing partner at the law firm of Bernhardi Lukasik PLLC in Buffalo where he litigates cases in state and federal courts across New York State.  He is listed in the publications The Best Lawyers in America, SuperLawyers and The Buffalo Law Journal’s Who’s Who in Law as one of the top personal injury lawyers in Buffalo.

In 2008, Dan created Lawyerwithdepression.com, the first website and blog of its kind in the country, to help law students, lawyers and judges cope with and heal from depression.  The site and Dan’s work have appeared in The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The National Law, Trial Magazine and several other national and international publications.  He is was the recipient of The Distinguished Alumni Award for Public Service from The University at Buffalo School of Law and The Award of Merit from the Erie County Bar Association.

He is the Executive Producer of the documentary, A Terrible Melancholy: Depression in the Legal Profession and is currently writing a book about depression and lawyers.

Professionally, Dan is a Board member of The Erie County Bar Association and Compeer, Buffalo, an organization dedicated to finding and pairing up mentors with men, women and children struggling with mental illness.

Connect With Dan:
Twitter: @DanLukasik
Facebook: Lawyers With Depression
Website: www.LawyersWithDepression.com

Mental Health Advocate Gabe Howard shares his personal struggles with Bipolar and his  strategies for managing the disease. 

FROM HIS WEBSITE
Gabe Howard is a motivational speaker, mental illness blogger and writer, as well a person living with severe mental illness. Over ten years ago, Gabe was diagnosed with bipolar and anxiety disorders after being admitted to a psychiatric hospital. Later, he would be terminated from his job with a Fortune 100 company, giving him firsthand experience of discrimination against the mentally ill. 

Realizing that ignorance of mental illness was a direct cause of the fear, discrimination, and stigmatization people with mental illness face, he has made it his mission to raise the level of people’s understanding about these disorders. 

His enlightening, comical, motivating, and entertaining speeches challenge the audience to see things from a different point of view. He uses his life with severe mental illness as inspiration and has since gone on to be a professional non-profit fundraiser, community relations expert, business owner, and motivational speaker. He is currently the managing director of reTRAINING Minds, a workplace training company that provides consulting, education, and workshops to businesses all over the United States.

Gabe currently serves on The Ohio Empowerment Coalition’s board of directors and has served on the boards of several other organizations; has been a paid advocate, speaker, and fundraiser for local charities; has testified in front of the Ohio General Assembly; has been a guest lecturer at multiple universities, including The Ohio State University; assists with police officer training through the Crisis Intervention Training (CIT) Program; worked with veterans suffering from mental illness; served on the Suicide Prevention Counsel; and has done many speaking appearances in multiple states for audiences of all sizes. In addition to his work with groups, Gabe has worked one-on-one with hundreds of families and people with mental illness.

Gabe is the co-author of the Anxiety-Schmanxiety blog on HealthyPlace.com, writes a monthly blog for the International Bipolar Foundation, has been featured in the Wall Street Journal, Columbus Dispatch, Columbus Monthly, NAMI Advocate, multiple Suburban News Publication (SNP) newspapers, WCMH channel 4, WBNS Channel 10, multiple over-the-air radio outlets, multiple internet radio stations and podcasts, company training videos, Agency Internet Promotional Videos, and many newsletters and online blogs. He has also been a guest columnist in several online publications and blogs and has been used as a resource by criminal defense attorneys in Columbus, Ohio.

Connect With Gabe:
Twitter: @GabeHoward29
Facebook: GabeHoward29
YouTube: GabeHoward29
Website: www.GabeHoward.com

Could a novel help someone struggling with anxiety? Tracy Shawn, author of 'The Grace of Crows,' explains the potential benefits that a novel could provide someone struggling with anxiety.  Her new novel tells the story of a woman's journey to gain insight into her strange fears and the power to overcome her severe anxiety. 

The Grace of Crows has won the Jack Eadon Award for the Best Book in Contemporary Drama.  It has also won the second place Award in General Fiction with Readers Views and Runner-Up Award in General Fiction with the Great NorthWest Book Festival.

Connect With Tracy:
    Online: www.tracyshawn.com
    Facebook: www.facebook.com/tracyshawnauthor
    Twitter: @TracyShawn

Bipolar Disorder affects 2.6% of the population.  Andy Behrman discusses his personal struggle and how others could manage theirs. In a rapid-fire approach, Andy and Jay discuss his experience and his thoughts on different treatment methods. To listen to a deeper discussion about his amazing story, listen to episode 17 by Clicking Here.







Connect With Andy:

Website: www.electroboy.com
Follow Andy on Twitter: @electroboyusa 
Andy's book: Electroboy - A Memoir of 'Mania'