
CHICAGO-(AEAE)-IN A 15 YEAR STUDY IN WHICH SEVERAL THOUSAND LAWYERS WERE STUDIED. AEAE FOUND A HIGH RATE OF MENTAL ILLNESS ALMOST THREE TIMES THAT OF A CONTROL SAMPLE. AEAE found that the attorney study group were not prone to schizophrenia, a disorder of thinking, but to manic-depression, a disorder of feeling. Manic depressives experience sharp mood swings from euphoric highs to despairing lows, which can lead to alcoholism or even suicide. A high percentage of the attorneys studied turned out to have manic depressive temperaments, a fact that may explain their attraction to the law in the first place. AEAE study reveals that mild manic highs if kept in check, can actually benefit the attorney. The study reveals that hundreds of the attorneys who fall into this category, are highly productive during their “up” phases” and able to ride through intermittent mild lows without any serious legal repercussions, sanctions, contempt and disbarment(s) . However a large number of attorneys who thrived on the creative rush of the early phase of the manic attack, soon they thrive no more; creativity turned into craziness, they can't write a brief if there life depended on it and they start shouting at the bailiffs and judges. Their engine(s) revves up too much, the practice of law becomes too intense and thoughts fly so fast that attorneys after several years in the profession no longer seem like they can connect to the law. That's why so many attorneys turn into alcoholics, end up facing the attorney registration and disciplinary commissions or face federal charges. Every once in a while you get a study that confirms people's worst fears and their intuitions.
SIDEBAR: The most interesting finding from this study is that the attorneys who can no longer practice law, have a tendency to become “judges” in order to be able to remain in the legal profession.