Letters
Letters to the editor: The Wisconsin Lawyer
publishes as many letters in each issue as space permits. Please limit
letters to 500 words; letters may be edited for length and clarity.
Letters should address the issues, and not be a personal attack on
others. Letters endorsing political candidates cannot be accepted.
Please mail letters to "Letters to the Editor," Wisconsin Lawyer, P.O.
Box 7158, Madison, WI 53707-7158, fax them to (608) 257-4343, or email
them to wislawyer@wisbar.org.
Depression article touches readers
The response to my "Brainstorm" article in the
December issue detailing my experience with depression has been
overwhelming. I have received more than 60 written notes as well as many
calls and personal comments. The notes have come from Minnesota, Iowa,
Illinois, Michigan, Colorado, Arizona, New Mexico, Louisiana, New York,
California, and Wisconsin. They have come from a
supreme court justice, judges, lawyers in the largest firms in the
state, small firm lawyers, solo practitioners, Board of Governors
members, Department of Justice lawyers, government lawyers, elected
state public officials, federal bureaucrats, State Bar staff, presidents
of two other state bar associations, and former Wisconsin Bar
presidents. There have been several requests for permission to reproduce
it in other publications.
Several themes appear consistently in these messages. The writers
thank me for having written the essay, they thank the Wisconsin Lawyer
for publishing it, and they relate their own struggles, or those of
close family members, with depression or other mood disorders.
Typical comments were: "I want to commend you for having the courage
to publish this." (The word "courage" appeared in more than half of the
messages.) "I understand your struggle." "As a government lawyer, the
magazine usually does not hold much of interest to me but your article
was a breath of fresh air." "The bar needs to do more to foster an
understanding of depression."
One comment in particular was quite different. "I was struck by the
incredible naivete of your article. This is a cruel, dog-eat-dog world.
Do you really think there will not be repercussions?" I can honestly
assure you that I am not aware of any negative repercussions for the
publication of this article or from my openness about my condition. To
the contrary, the understanding, hope, and support that I receive have
been wonderful. There have been repercussions from how I acted while my
depression was un-diagnosed and untreated. That is under-standable
because my behavior was self-defeating, paranoid, and totally baffling
to others. Since I acknowledged the problem and accepted treatment, the
response of others has been totally positive.
There probably are some readers who will think less of me after
reading the article, but they are not the ones who contact me. Some
truly believe that matters such as this should remain private and there
is no point in a public discussion or confession. I knew that in
advance, and several trusted advisors cautioned me to think carefully
and proceed cautiously. I appreciated their concerns but in the final
analysis decided to do it my way. I would do the same thing again. It
has been a great experience for me. Thank you to the Wisconsin Lawyer
for publishing it.
In closing, I want to take this opportunity to correct an inadvertent
impression I may have created for some. I made the point that depression
is not a sign of moral weakness, bad genes, or a troubled childhood. It
is the product of a chemical imbalance that can be corrected. One member
wrote to me challenging my point that drug therapy is the treatment of
choice. I did not mean that. For years, I successfully controlled my
condition with vigorous exercise. I was a daily runner and marathoner.
Running worked for me until my arthritic knees sent me a strong message
that it was time to quit. That is when my depression overwhelmed me. I
am not a drug proponent for everyone. There are many different
approaches. Medication is the one that is working for me now. The
ultimate form of treatment is not important. That's between doctor and
patient. What is important is an admission that there is a problem and a
proactive process of seeking help.
Because most of the responses to me were of a personal nature, not
the kind that would be sent as a letter to the editor, the Wisconsin
Lawyer staff probably have not received the positive feedback that I
have. I wanted you to know that your decision to publish my article was
a great service to the profession. I do believe that there is a hunger
for more lifestyle articles.
Gary Bakke, State Bar President
New Richmond,
or P.O. Box 7158, Madison, WI 53707-7158.
Lemon law statute renumbered
Steve Nicks' lemon law updates are always very useful. The latest
update, in the November 2000 Wisconsin Lawyer, omitted one important
development. The Wisconsin lemon law used to be in Wis. Stat. section
218.015. It recently was renumbered as Wis. Stat. section 218.0171,
effective April 19, 2000 (1999 Wis. Act 31, section 287).
Charles M. Kernats
Wisconsin Department
of Transportation
Wisconsin
Lawyer
