Dealing with depression at law school... Forum

[biggamejames]

Garinold,

Welcome to one of the professions that has a very high depression rate. I'm sure someone can bring up the statistics, but I know I've read many studies/articles that show the legal profession has a comparatively high rate of depression. It will not get better. I wish I had some nice words to say but that's just reality. Best of luck. It's not too late to drop everything and join the peace corps.

Yes it will. OP might still be depressed next year, but life does get unimaginably easier after 1L ends. 2L is a different (and better) kind of thing entirely.

OP: If you can survive 1L, know that at least the law school part of your life will get more tolerable.

[jpin22]

Bro you need to figure out what does make you happy, and go for it. I considered myself to be a happy person going into law school, but the day law school started my girlfriend of 5 years leaves me. Needless to say I was extremely broken the first couple months of school, and having to work extra hard now to make up for it. What I realized was that I put too much of my happiness in her, you need to find ways to make yourself happy in a variety of ways. Make some friends and go out and have a few drinks, and relax. We get one shot at life and while there are obstacles, life is what you make of it, even when shit seems awful.

[MTal]

edit: didn't see this is an old thread

[biggamejames]

Bro you need to figure out what does make you happy, and go for it.

Some people don't have anything that makes them happy.

[katieg]

People on here keep on suggesting counseling and medication for OP. Would medication alone help, or do you need both?

[yabbadabbado]

A lot of people who have these issues take medication only (and do not go to therapy in conjunction with it) because they are too lazy to go to counseling. Or they can't find a counselor that is compatible with them. Or they have insurance coverage issues, etc. A guy I know who is a psychologist says insurance companies often won't cover therapy with a counselor that deviates from the standard cognitive-behavioral approach.

Most Psychiatrists (aka pill pushers) will say that medication in conjunction with therapy is the best.

The people that advocate counseling only (usually Psychologists) for mild to moderate depression will cite studies that they say show that there is no significant difference in success rates for counseling only vs. counseling + medication. These people will basically say that medication should only be used in severe cases.

One problem people have pointed out with medications for depression is that it's basically a trial and error process. There is no scientific way to decide what to prescribe a patient for a straightforward case of depression. They will just try a beginner dose of a medication they favor and see how it works. If that doesn't work after awhile, they try something else. Then something else, etc. However many things it takes to get it right. Patients are basically like guinea pigs. These medications also have side-effects which can vary a bit from person to person.

NOTE: I am not a doctor or a psychologist. Please do not construe anything I just wrote as any kind of medical or psychological advice.

[ToTransferOrNot]

+1 on the "patients as guinea pigs" sentiment in re: medication, and yeah, some of the side effects can range from really annoying (most SSRIs and Wellbutrin result in increased sweating in a majority of people, for example,) to really bad (sexual side effects,) to downight scary (some people do react negatively to some medication and actually get dramatically more depressed, though this has been questioned, and is generally seen more in younger people.) Not to mention that there are some nasty psychic effects that come with trying one thing after another, only to see them not work--it can be self-feeding.

That said, psychology isn't for everyone either, and it certainly has a lot of guinea pig moments to it. Of course, the difference is that you aren't putting medications in your body, it's just taking time/possibly money.

The whole field is really hit and miss.

That said, most schools' student health services have at least some psychology services available. Additionally, life generally does get a little better after 1L, though I wouldn't bank on that, particularly if you have any kind of depression in your background.

-Insert "I'm not a doctor, and if I had the credentials to be a doctor, I sure wouldn't be on this board" disclaimer here.

Edit: What is the name of the doctor who was giving the talk re: depression as cancer, parts of the brain atrophying, etc? I'd be interested to read some material on the concept.

[thegor1987]

buy a bicycle and do an ironman triathlon

[robespierre2012]

we live in a world where meaning and truth are elusive. the modern world is a struggle. if you can't find anything within yourself to live for, living for others can be the key.