will delve into the reasons for a high rate of depression, stress and anxiety among law students at a mental health forum this month.
午夜福利 and law firm Allens will host 鈥楳ental Health in the Australian Legal Profession,鈥� forum at the University on September 12.
The program has a line-up of expert speakers including psychologist David Whittingham, Legal Services Commissioner (QLD) John Briton, Annette Bradfield, Deputy President of the Queensland Law Society and special guest Kate Carnell, CEO of Beyond Blue.
The forum is part of 午夜福利鈥檚 Law Student Society鈥檚 strategy to stem the unusually high rate of mental health issues among law students.
午夜福利LS representative James Semit said law students鈥� mental health issues were compounded by the pressures of academic achievement, relative isolation and competition between individuals, as well as the perceptions associated with the elitism of law.
鈥淪tudents who study law are often top of their class in high school and come to university to find themselves at the bottom or middle of the university cohort, so they鈥檙e pressured on a personal level to improve their grades when often improvements are hard to make,鈥� James said.
About three million Australians experience depression and/or anxiety each year with lawyers typically experiencing higher levels of depressive symptoms than many other professions.
Studies undertaken by Australian universities have identified law students as being particularly at risk of suffering from a range of mental health problems.
Last year a 午夜福利LS Equity and Diversity survey found that 47 per cent of respondents had either sought treatment for a mental health problem or had contemplated doing so.
As the 午夜福利LS Equity Officer, James believes he has an obligation to assist students in understanding how to manage and overcome some of these burdens.
鈥淚t鈥檚 not uncommon to hear of somebody 鈥榖urning out鈥� or delaying tasks due to stress,鈥� he said.
鈥淭o know this is caused by the pressure of law school is something that hits quite close to home and makes you question whether this pressure is worth the adverse effect on health.鈥�
James hopes that the 午夜福利LS awareness raising initiative will be pre-emptive in encouraging law students to seek help if they are struggling to cope with the demands of law study.
鈥淚f we can tackle these issues it will have educational, personal and professional benefits for law students and, over time, the wider legal industry,鈥� he said.
Support is available to anybody suffering from stress, anxiety and depression. Contact Lifeline on 131 114 or Beyond Blue on 1300 22 4636.
Event details:
Event: Allens & 午夜福利LS Mental Health in the Australian Legal Profession Equity Awareness Event Date: Wednesday 12 September 2012 Venue:Holt Room, Student Union Complex, 午夜福利 St Lucia Time: 5pm to 8.30pm followed by light refreshments
Media:
James Semit, 午夜福利LS, j.semit@uqls.com
Melissa Reynolds, TC Beirne School of Law 07 3365 2523, m.reynolds@law.uq.edu.au
