TYLA Project

Breaking the Silence – A Candid Discussion on Mental Illness and Substance Abuse
By:  Sara Anne Giddings

Mental illness and substance abuse greatly affect the legal profession. Lawyers struggle with substance abuse at nearly twice the rate as the general public. Lawyers have the highest rate of depression and the highest rate of suicide of any profession. Further, suicide is the third leading cause of death amongst lawyers. It is important that as attorneys we engage in open and honest discussion about these issues and that we help our struggling colleagues.

TYLA will host a series of Breaking the Silence panels addressing mental illness and substance abuse issues. The panels will provide firsthand perspectives from attorneys who will share how these issues have affected their legal careers. In addition to these first-person perspectives, the panel will have a mental health professional who will address the symptoms commonly associated with mental illness and substance abuse. Further, the mental health professional will speak about how to help your colleagues who are struggling with either mental illness or substance abuse. The panelists who have struggled with these issues will talk about their symptoms and what their colleagues have done — or could have done — to help them. 

The first Breaking the Silence panel took place December 3, 2015, in Austin. Retired Chief Justice of the Third Court of Appeals Woodie Jones moderated a panel featuring Erica Grigg, Sara Giddings, and Louis Laves-Webb. The panel was a very real and open discussion on depression and substance abuse in the legal profession that was attended or viewed on webcast by more than 150 individuals. The Austin event was the first Breaking the Silence panel, but it certainly will not be the last. 

By discussing these difficult issues and educating ourselves on how to assist our struggling colleagues, we can help others so they do not have to suffer in silence. TYLA’s Breaking the Silence panels are an important step, and I encourage you to attend a panel when one comes to your city. Let’s break the silence.

Sara Anne Giddings is an associate with Smith Rose Finley P.C. in San Angelo, Texas, where her practice focuses on tax, estate planning and business law.  She can be reached at sgiddings@smithrose.com.