Are Lawyers More Prone to Stress/Depression?

When comparing to other professionals, It does seem that there is adequate evidence to support this. According to Psychology Today; it is quite common for practising lawyers to end up on a therapist’s couch. Consider these following findings from psychological studies and surveys (based in the US – perhaps one of the more stressful jurisdictions in which to practice law):

According to an often cited Johns Hopkins University study of more than 100 occupations, researchers found that lawyers lead the nation with the highest incidence of depression.
An ABA Young Lawyers Division survey indicated that 41 percent of female attorneys were unhappy with their jobs.

In 1996, lawyers overtook dentists as the profession with the highest rate of suicide.
The ABA estimates that 15-20 percent of all U.S. lawyers suffer from alcoholism or substance abuse.
Seven in ten lawyers responding to a California Lawyers magazine poll said they would change careers if the opportunity arose.

According to one psychiatrist:
“Most, from my experience, tend to be “Type A’s” (i.e., highly ambitious and over-achieving individuals). They also have a tendency toward perfectionism, not just in their professional pursuits but in nearly every aspect of their lives. While this characteristic is not unique to the legal profession – nor is it necessarily a bad thing – when rigidly applied, it can be problematic. The propensity of many law students and attorneys to be perfectionistic can sometimes impede their ability to be flexible and accommodating, qualities that are important in so many non-legal domains.”

Taking this into account, it does seem that the legal profession does cause many practitioners a high degree of stress – but I would qualify this to say that it can be somewhat circumstantial and situational. It can depend on the area of law in which one specialises for example (one would imagine a greater potential for a ‘moral hazard’ issue where criminal lawyers are concerned..perhaps). Also it may vary by jurisdiction – it is not surprising that many of these findings were in the US. It can be difficult if we attempt to generalise beyond this. It is clear however that the legal profession can attract a certain type of individual and/or create a certain type of individual due to the adversarial nature and rigidity of the work.

In any case, this issue is something lawyers (especially newcomers) need to be aware of from the outset so as to allow them to take appropriate steps to minimise the impact of the work on their mental health. They could do with learning how to: ‘work smarter not harder’ – be more flexible – know when it is time to switch off and relax – prioritise and delegate.

I was going to sum this up by saying they should seek to attain that all important ‘Work/Life Balance’ but in truth; I do not believe this is possible any more. I now tend to refer to this concept as the ‘Work/Life Blend’ because with technology people now tend to carry their work around with them on their iphones/ipads etc so it is difficult (and sometimes impossible) to switch off. Thus, it becomes all the more necessary to blend the two appropriately by working smarter rather than harder in order to minimise stress.