If you're thinking of suicide after receiving bar exam results, read this post.

If you’re thinking of committing suicide after receiving bar exam results, please read this first!

If you’re thinking of committing suicide after receiving bar exam results, please read this first!

Unfortunately, we frequently hear of students who commit suicide after receiving bar exam results. Recently, a person committed suicide after finding out that they failed the February 2017 bar exam for the third time.

If you’re thinking of committing suicide after receiving bar exam results, please read this first!

Perhaps you cannot imagine studying for the exam again or you cannot imagine telling others you did not pass or perhaps failing the bar exam is one of many factors that contributes to a decision to commit suicide.

We have had many friends and family members personally affected by suicide. If you are depressed or thinking of committing suicide after receiving bar exam results, know that you are not alone. Depression and suicide are widespread among law students and lawyers. But also know that there are so many other, better options available.

We list a few of the options below.

1. Seek professional help.

Call the national suicide prevention hotline (1-800-273-8255) or the lawyer assistance program in your state. Or go to the emergency room at the hospital. (If you are wondering what will happen when you go to the hospital for suicidal thoughts, please see this post for an overview of what will happen when you go to the emergency room because you are feeling suicidal). It is a good idea to bring a family member or friend to serve as an advocate with you. Do it right away as this is truly an emergency.

2. Call a friend.

Call a trusted friend or family member who is nonjudgmental and tell them how you are feeling. Do not take immediate action on your idea to commit suicide.

3. Reach out to us if you need a bar exam plan.

Text us, call us (248-228-5547) or e-mail us directly (info@jdadvising.com) if you feel like you have no options. We are not mental health experts by any means but we have helped a lot of people get through the bar exam and are more than happy to talk to you for free to help you come up with a plan. No matter what your score was or how many times you have taken the bar exam, it is possible to pass. You will feel better as soon as you have a plan in place.

4. Remember you are not alone.

Remember you are not alone if you are feeling suicidal thoughts. Lawyers and law students tend to suffer from depression and commit suicide in higher numbers than the general population. Lawyers are 3.6x more likely to be depressed than non-lawyers. Suicide is one of the leading causes of death in the United States and lawyers ranked fourth when the proportion of suicides in that profession is compared to suicides in all other occupations in the study population. (Read more about that here.) There is no reason to be scared or ashamed to talk about how you are feeling or to seek help.

While failing the bar exam is very difficult (especially the day you find out and the first few days after), it gets better. Please read this note to those who failed the bar exam.

Also, review this list of famous people who have failed the bar exam — this includes a ton of extremely successful people! Failing the bar exam does not have to define you or limit your success. On the contrary, it can give you new strength and motivation to move forward.

Lastly, you may be interested in these other posts:

Some quotes we recommend for those who failed the bar exam.
What to do if you failed the bar exam (A detailed approach!).
How to tell your boss you failed the bar exam
What to do if you have failed the bar exam twice, three, or four+ times
I failed the Uniform bar exam. What should I do?

Worried that a friend will commit suicide
after receiving bar exam results?

It is a good idea to become familiar with the warning signs of suicide and to have an idea of what to do if you suspect that a friend is committing suicide.

Become familiar with the warning signs of suicide. These include:

Talking about suicide (“I’d be better off dead”)
Self-loathing, self-hatred
No hope for the future
Preoccupation with death
Seeking access to lethal means like guns, pills, knives
Getting affairs in order (making a will, giving things away)
Saying goodbye or withdrawing from others
Self-destructive behavior
A sudden sense of calm after being extremely depressed (this can be a sign of a plan to commit suicide)

If you see any of these signs, take them seriously. It is often very hard to imagine someone you know committing suicide so it is easy to brush off threats of suicide or some of the other warning signs above. We urge you not to do that.

If you suspect a friend is considering committing suicide after receiving bar exam results:

Listen to them and let them talk.
Be sympathetic and non-judgmental
Offer hope
Take the person seriously if they say they are considering suicide
Don’t argue with them or lecture them
Don’t try to make them feel guilty

If you’re thinking of committing suicide after receiving bar exam results, please read this first!

If you’re thinking of committing suicide after receiving bar exam results, please read this first!

1. Seek professional help.

2. Call a friend.

3. Reach out to us if you need a bar exam plan.

4. Remember you are not alone.

Worried that a friend will commit suicide after receiving bar exam results?

Become familiar with the warning signs of suicide. These include:

Looking to Pass the Bar Exam?

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Worried that a friend will commit suicide
after receiving bar exam results?