Why Lawyers’ Mental Health Affects Society

The law is a high-esteemed and economic profession, many people in the society believe that Lawyers are tough and ambitious, but we cannot also deny the fact that these professionals too are undergoing a lot of stress in their field of work and day to day lives. Pressure coming from their family, from those people surrounding them and much more from the demands of the kind of work that they have.

Lawyers are trained to be intellectual and emotionally detached; Rather than feeling what hinders them to cope up with their emotional problems, lawyers try to think it out. A lawyer's field of work demands perfection thus this puts up much more pressure to prove their highest competency to their clients and peers. They also have the impression not to show any signs of weakness due to antagonistic nature of the court and also in hearing proceedings according to Lawyers with Depression.

Thus, mental health distress and substance abuse are more directly linked to the profession.

According to CBC News, last February 2016, a lead researcher of a U.S study that is published in the Journal of Addiction Medicine, Patrick Krill, compared to the other high professions, about three times greater than the general population in the United States, lawyers are considered to be much more vulnerable to an increased risk of depression.

Journal of Addiction Medicine published last February that among the highly educated professionals the rate of lawyers is two to three times higher.

Its impact on the society is immense, though to date; it has not been adequately or formally acknowledged or appreciated. Due to the declining capacity of these professionals, People who demand lawyers and the functioning of the government and the economy are significantly affected.

An agent named Michele Hollins, made a full recovery despite being a victim of depression and when she started her term as a president of the Canadian Bar Association last 2014 she speak openly about mental health and made sure those programs were in place. Providing confidential counseling and treatment are important for lawyers for this serves as an assistance program on dealing their day to day stress.