“Our hope is that LawLifeline will serve as both an informational resource and useful tool for law students who think they might be experiencing mental health issues.” - Wynne Kelly, President, The Dave Nee Foundation.
New York, NY (PRWEB) September 17, 2012
Studies show that law students experience higher incidences of anxiety and depression than the general public and even other graduate students. The competitive environment, Socratic method of teaching, and lack of feedback throughout the school year act as a Petri dish for developing dilapidating periods of anxiety and depression for many students. These students, as well as their professors and administrators at law schools, are often unaware of the effect the demanding environment can have on their mental health and well-being.
The new website, LawLifeline.org, will now address these issues by providing much-needed access to information and resources. LawLifeline is an anonymous, confidential online resource available for every law student in the country. It provides detailed articles and information on emotional health issues such as anxiety, depression, bipolar disorder, eating disorders, and stress as well as specific resources and services available to students in their communities.
Additionally, LawLifeline offers an anonymous diagnostic screening tool created in collaboration with Duke University for students to use to determine whether they or their friends are experiencing symptoms of a mental health disease or disorder so that they may begin to work towards seeking help and treatment.
LawLifeline is available to any law school in the nation.
“We are incredibly honored to partner with The Jed Foundation to help bring LawLifeline to law schools across the country,” says Wynne Kelly, Esq., President of The Dave Nee Foundation. “Our hope is that it will serve as both an informational resource and useful tool for law students who think they might be experiencing mental health issues.”
“Law students can face significant academic and financial pressures, but they may also struggle, or know someone who is struggling, with emotional health issues,” says John MacPhee, Executive Director of The Jed Foundation. “We are proud to partner with The Dave Nee Foundation on LawLifeline and are committed to helping support the emotional well-being of law students by providing them with a confidential resource they can use to get the assistance they may need.”
The Dave Nee Foundation was created in the wake of the 2005 suicide of Dave Nee, a brilliant law student who struggled silently with depression for many years. The foundation exists to end the stigma that surrounds depression, raise awareness about signs and symptoms of the illness, and prevent suicide so that others do not have to suffer. The Dave Nee Foundation offers a number of programs to achieve its mission: the innovative and unique program, Uncommon Counsel, through which the foundation educates law students about depression, its prevalence in the legal profession, and the availability and effectiveness of treatment; LawLifeline, an online resource accessible to all law schools throughout the country through which students can learn about emotional health issues, identify the signs and symptoms, and engage in an anonymous health screening; and a grant-giving program that includes an annual grant awarded to a deserving organization whose mission is to support those with depression and/or prevent suicide. Learn more by visiting http://www.daveneefoundation.org or http://www.lawlifeline.org.
The Jed Foundation is the nation’s leading organization working to promote emotional health and prevent suicide among college students. The Jed Foundation materials and tools are available to all colleges and universities throughout the United States. Founded in 2000 by parents who lost a son to suicide while he was attending college, the organization has developed numerous programs including ULifeline, an online resource that gives students access to campus-specific resources and allows them to take an anonymous emotional health screening; the Love is Louder, a movement online and in communities to build connectedness and increase resiliency; Transition Year, an online resource center to help parents and students focus on emotional health before, during and after the college transition; and a portfolio of nationally-recognized tools, resources and training programs that help campuses effectively promote mental health and protect at-risk students. Learn more by visiting http://www.jedfoundation.org, http://www.ulifeline.org, http://www.halfofus.com, and http://www.transitionyear.org.