LEXINGTON, Ky. — University of Kentucky law students are taking on an initiative to tackle mental health.

They're making efforts to remove a question on the Kentucky Bar Exam application in the Character and Fitness section.

“Anything I could to help with the mental health status of students and of practicing future attorneys, I was absolutely willing to be involved,” said Miranda Roberts, a law school student at UK and with the student bar association.

Roberts’ background, however, is in psychology.

“For me, this is super important because I’ve studied psychology, and I understand how important it is, and I get to see every day in law school, every day the way the competitive nature of the legal community takes its toll on students and attorneys,” Roberts said.

It’s question 31. The question reads: Do you currently have any conditions or impairment (including but not limited to substance abuse, alcohol abuse, or a mental, emotional or nervous disorder or condition) that in material ways affects your ability to practice law in a competent, ethical and professional manner?

“It's our belief that that question dissuades students, and prevents them from getting any sort of mental health treatment that they need, because they know if they go and get that treatment, they're going to have to disclose it to the Kentucky Bar,” said Jonas Bastien, president of the UK Bar Association.

He said removing or even rewording question 31 has been something they’ve been working on for months. Both Roberts and Bastien said the question does more harm than good.

“A lot of law students will not select yes out of fear. They will not be able to be barred in Kentucky, and what it does is cause law students to not seek help when they need help. It can cause law students to self medicate, which we’ve seen in the legal community over and over and over again,” Roberts said.

The student group has submitted a letter voicing this concern, and more have joined.

“We’re so thankful to have [University of Louisville] and [Northern Kentucky University] both join in on the initiative to show that this is not just a Lexington thing, the entire state is dealing with this right now,” Roberts said.

The committees in these three law schools are now waiting to hear back from the Kentucky Supreme court along with the state’s bar association on a date to discuss this initiative.