As reported by the blog, Life at the Bar, Michael Cohen, the Executive Director of Florida Lawyers’ Assistance, cites several startling statistics in his presentation on substance abuse and mental health issues facing members of the Bar. Mr. Cohen (whom Nee Foundation Board Member Wynne Kelly has had the pleasure of hearing speak), is a dynamic individual who fearlessly and honestly shares his personal story of substance abuse to young lawyers. Mr. Cohen, in a speech heard by Life at the Bar a few years back, shared these statistics:

• 15-18% of attorneys will have substance abuse problem vs. 10% of general population.
• Over 1/3 of attorneys say they are dissatisfied and would choose another profession if they could.
• Attorneys have the highest rates of depression and suicide of any profession.

The entire post from Life at the Bar is available here.

ANDREW P. SPARKLER RECEIVES 2009 OUTSTANDING YOUNG LAWYER AWARD - New York attorney is the founding director of suicide prevention non-profit organization

NEW YORK—The New York State Bar Association’s Young Lawyers Section will present its Outstanding Young Lawyer Award to Andrew P. Sparkler of New York (American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers) Thursday, January 29 at the 9th floor, Marquis C/Upper Terrace Promenade of the Marriott Marquis. The award is presented annually to a young lawyer who has rendered outstanding service to both the community and the legal profession and has a distinguished record of commitment to the finest traditions of the Bar through public service and professional activities.

After losing a close friend to suicide in 2005, Sparkler founded the David Dawes Nee II Foundation in 2006, where he is currently President of the Board of Directors. The foundation is dedicated to eliminating the stigma associated with depression and suicide by promoting and encouraging diagnosis and treatment of depression among adolescents and young adults. The foundation is currently developing the Law School Initiative that seeks to address the epidemic of depression in law students in New York.

“Of the many exceptional nominees we received this year, Andrew Sparkler proved to be an exemplary candidate for this prestigious award. He is an inspiring role model for young lawyers in his commitment to the law and his community,” said Young Lawyers Section Chair Sherry Levin Wallach of Mt. Kisco (Wallach & Rendo LLP). “More than 40 percent of third-year law students and 24 percent of lawyers in New York suffer with depression and I commend Andrew for raising awareness about the severity of this issue as he continues what is sure to be a distinguished career.”

A graduate of Brown University and Fordham University School of Law, he is currently the Legal Corporate Associate Director of the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers. He began his career as an Employment and Employee Benefits Associate at Schulte Roth & Zabel LLP before switching to entertainment law at Beldock Levine & Hoffman LLP. Sparkler served as editor-in-chief of the Fordham Intellectual Property, Media & Entertainment Law Journal.

Previous winners include David A. Kochman of New York (Reed Smith), Laurie A. Giordano of Rochester (Leclair Korona Giordano Cole LLP), Michael C. Rakower of New York (Law Office of Michael C. Rakower), Elissa D. Hecker of Irvington (Law Office of Elissa D. Hecker), and Immediate Past Association President Kathryn Grant Madigan of Binghamton (Levene Gouldin & Thompson LLP).

The 76,000-member New York State Bar Association is the official statewide organization of lawyers in New York and the largest voluntary state bar association in the nation. Founded in 1876, State Bar programs and activities have continuously served the public and improved the justice system for more than 130 years.

For additional information, please see Fordham Law’s press release regarding Andrew’s award.

Below is a recent article written exclusively for our website by Dr. Regan Stanger. Dr. Stanger is a member of the Board of Advisors for the David Dawes Nee II Foundation. She is also a Clinical Psychiatrist specializing in child and adolescent psychiatry and is currently training at the New York Psychoanalytic Institute. Dr. Stanger is in private practice in New York City.

“Really?” is a common surprised response when I inform an adolescent or young adult that he/she is suffering a clinical depression. As a child, adolescent, and adult psychiatrist in private practice, I have the unique perspective of observing how depression presents itself across the decades of life. Not only can the symptoms of depression present somewhat differently at various ages, but a person’s awareness of their illness can also be quite variable. Children almost never self-diagnose depression, whereas older adults often present with a chief complaint of “I’m depressed”. But the young adult hovers somewhere in the middle. The young adults often greet me with complaints of “I’m anxious”, “I’m having a hard time”, or “I don’t feel like myself”. They frequently do not recognize that they are suffering from the medical illness of depression.

Read the rest »

Recent Suicide Screening Study shows that a proactive approach to screening for suicidal tendencies identifies issues that may otherwise be missed. The Foundation is proud to be involved in these screening endeavors through its relationship and sponsorship of TeenScreen.

NEW YORK (Reuters) - School-based suicide screening can identify students at risk for suicide and other mental health problems not recognized by school professionals, new research suggests…. (For the remainder of the article please visit http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/28301704/from/ET/)