How to Save a Life

Much like CPR, the goal of QPR is to stop the immediate crisis until a professional with more advanced training can provide further care and treatment, up to and including inpatient care if necessary. It’s part of a “chain of survival” intended to increase the probability that a life-threatening crisis can be survived.

The initial learning process around the QPR technique can easily become a part of a company training seminar since it can be completed in just one to two hours. More extensive QPR certification training can also be implemented, making it more likely that suicides can be prevented with immediate intervention from colleagues, friends, and family. 

What’s interesting about this approach is that you don’t have to be a mental health professional to use it. In fact, QPR is designed to train anyone how to offer hope and take action when they are concerned that someone may be at risk for suicide. Once someone is trained they are recognized as a “QPR Gatekeeper” so they can use the technique.

The term “Gatekeeper” refers to anyone who may benefit from learning how to use QPR to intervene to stop a suicide. Gatekeepers are people who may be in a position to recognize warning signs of suicide and that someone is considering taking their own life.

Over the past 20 years, more than 2,500 organizations have implemented the QPR Gatekeeper training program. Over 8,500 instructors have been certified, delivering the QPR intervention to over one million people worldwide.

Although attorneys are often good at masking emotions and a personal crisis, it’s important to understand that about 90 percent of people in a suicidal crisis or suicidal ideation will give some kind of warning to those around them. Warning signs can include previous suicide attempts, alcohol and drug abuse, statements revealing or suggesting a desire to die, sudden behavior changes, depression, giving away personal belongings, and purchasing a gun or stockpiling pills.

Although we can’t predict suicide for any individual, we can prevent suicide if someone reveals their plans and we can intervene quickly and effectively. This is where QPR training comes into play. It can help you ask the right questions at the right time to potentially save a life.

While it’s impossible to predict or prevent every suicide, early intervention can significantly increase the likelihood of preventing a tragic outcome, much like CPR can increase survival rates following cardiac arrest. QPR training equips individuals with the skills to identify warning signs, engage in meaningful conversation, and connect those at risk with appropriate care. By learning to ask the right questions at crucial moments, we can enhance our collective ability to offer lifesaving support, acknowledging that, despite our best efforts, outcomes are not guaranteed.

How can we stop the “silent spiral”?

As an employer

Concerns for attorneys' mental health seem to only be discussed in the aftermath of the death by suicide of respected colleague. The news prompts a round of second-guessing and hunt for clues that were missed. Early intervention is crucial to prevent mental health issues from escalating.

While some legal departments have started to build robust well-being programs, some remain resistant, often due to concerns that addressing mental health and the silent spiral into suicide is not appropriate for a work setting. A 2022 white paper produced by the National Guidelines for Workplace Suicide Prevention outlined common reservations from human resources professionals and employment counsel:

Who’s at risk?

Not only are companies, employment counsel, and HR professionals reticent about discussing mental health and suicide, but so are lawyers as a profession. They are some of the least inclined to seek mental health assistance, even though the suicide rate is rising in the profession. 

Lawyers don’t have a monopoly on stress, but studies suggest the stress of practicing law, especially when combined with other factors, can be especially detrimental to mental well-being. Studies also show lawyers who report feeling high stress are 22 times more prone to suicidal ideation than low-stress professions. Think about that — 22 times more likely to contemplate suicide.

The basic stress-inducing culprits are familiar: long hours, tight deadlines, complex tasks and demanding clients — not to mention the fundamentally adversarial nature of the work itself.

In one US-based survey, attorneys were asked, “How often have you had thoughts that you would be better off dead, or of hurting yourself?” Those who said, “Several days,” “More than half the days,” or “Nearly every day,” were classified as endorsing suicidality.

About 4.2 percent of all US-based adults fall into that category, compared with 8.5 percent of lawyers. Within the attorney cohort, however, a portrait of those at greatest risk emerged.

According to the study, male lawyers are twice as likely to contemplate suicide – a “surprising” finding, since the researchers also found that women lawyers had more risk factors such as anxiety, depression, and hazardous levels of alcohol use.

They’re also lonely. The study theorizes that such feelings of social isolation could be related to the profession's demanding nature and its often competitive and individualistic culture.

In addition, lawyers who are overly committed to their work are also more likely to contemplate self-harm.

While statistical analysis found that a lawyer’s race by itself wasn’t a predictor of suicidality, the raw survey data indicated that lawyers who identified as Asian, followed by Black and Latino, more often thought about self-harm compared with those who are Caucasian/White — numbers that could be a cause for pause and seen as a reflection of the legal profession’s lack of diversity and the associated struggles among minority lawyers.

The most unhappy lawyers are also apt to be young. The survey data showed that lawyers under age 30 were most likely to report feelings of suicidal ideation, while those 61 and older were least likely to do so, though age alone also wasn’t a predictor of suicidality.

These findings underscore the urgency for legal departments to respond now with initiatives, such as QPR, aimed at identifying overstressed individuals and reducing suicidal ideation or the ultimate final decision to commit suicide. 

The basic stress-inducing culprits are familiar: long hours, tight deadlines, complex tasks and demanding clients — not to mention the fundamentally adversarial nature of the work itself.

In one US-based survey, attorneys were asked, “How often have you had thoughts that you would be better off dead, or of hurting yourself?” Those who said, “Several days,” “More than half the days,” or “Nearly every day,” were classified as endorsing suicidality.

How to make a difference

Attend a QPR training, particularly if you fit one of the “gatekeeper” categories or you believe you may come into contact with people who may be considering suicide.

Just as CPR prepares you for stepping in to assist with a cardiac emergency, QPR will give you the skills and knowledge to intervene to possibly prevent a suicide. Remember: if you ask the question, you may just save a life.

Prioritizing mental health in the legal profession is not only essential for the well-being of attorneys but also professional success. By acknowledging the challenges faced by legal professionals and providing resources, including QPR training, we can create a more compassionate and resilient legal community. Together, let's work towards breaking the stigma surrounding mental health in law and fostering a supportive environment where attorneys can thrive both personally and professionally.