Commentary: How to Help Colleagues in Crisis

The number of lawyers who commit suicide each year in the United States may be six times greater than the national average, according to some studies, notes Ann D. Foster, the director of the State Bar of Texas Lawyers' Assistance Program. She discusses some steps lawyers can take if they sense a colleague may need help. As members of one of the original healing professions, Foster says, lawyers may be in a unique position to help friends, colleagues and clients out of a mental health crisis.