Law students and anxiety disorders

[LawLady]

I recently attended a mediation class though my school's health center to help me manage stress.  When I signed up, the woman who took my registration said that it was no wonder I was signing up for a class like that & that tons of law students have anxiety problems. I thought depression was the "lawyer disease."  Anyone know anything about this?  I can admit that I certainly worry more about stupid crap than I did before law school. 

What about you all?  Do you worry more about minor things now?

[jacy85]

I've gone through bouts of depression since law school, something I was never prone to before.  Law school has been fairly high stress for me at times, and generally I put a lot of pressure on myself to do well.  The work can be overwhelming at times with the "extras" I'm doing (journal last year, and this year working on my comment for publication, an internship, and 4 classes), and it tends to make me depressed.

The best thing I've found for me is to learn to recognize when you start feeling depressed, and figure out something you can do that you enjoy, so you can change things up a bit and snap out of it.

[thorc954]

my life went to hell right around when the studying for the lsat thing began, so you aren't alone.  I try to keep myself as busy as possible when I get depressed.  When it gets really bad, I start going to the gym and running till I cannot think about anything but how tired I am.  It is a terrible profession because you feel like you are giving up a part of yourself to be a lawyer and thats not good.  However, realize you arent alone.

[juliemccoy]

General Anxiety Disorder (GAD) and Depression, while different disorders, are treated very similarly. Most medications for one are also used for the other.

I don't think GAD is something you "get" by going to law school-- it probably begins to manifest itself around this time if it did not by the time you started undergrad. Most people begin to experience mental disorders in their late teens through young adulthood.

As most law students are in their early 20s and a self-selecting group of Type A-Perfectionist-Overachievers who are driven to do well, it isn't surprising that this group also suffers from varying diagnosed and undiagnosed anxiety or depression-related problems.