Lawyers experience mental health crisis

Lawyers in Canada are more likely to experience mental health struggles, according to a recent survey.

In 2017, the University of Toronto released a study in which over 1,000 lawyers in both Canada and the U.S. were surveyed. The study found lawyers who held jobs at large firms in the private sector and in higher paying positions had a stronger correlation with depression.

In addition to this, a study done by John Hopkins University had results showing law as the occupation most likely to have depression.

Ken Marley, a criminal defense lawyer of 29 years, said he understands being a lawyer is stressful but he does not see high levels of mental illness in lawyers around him.

“The subject matter is often depressing,” said Marley. “The subject matter is often challenging emotionally but I don’t think it affects my mental health. I think most lawyers find a way to cope with the stress and cope with the frustration or the unhappiness of the work that they’re doing.”

Marley said he would expect to see depression in student lawyers.

According to the Canadian Bar Association, lawyers experience depression at a rate four times higher than the general population. However, 40 per cent of law students may have “significant levels of depressive symptoms.”

“The process of becoming a lawyer is very different than it used to be and I think a lot of students encounter depression or mental illness because of the apparent hopelessness of it all,” said Marley.

He said bar exams require a lot of time and opportunities for law internships are not easy to come by.

Sid Zarabi, 29, is a second year law student at the University of Windsor. He is also co-chair of the Windsor Law Mental Health and Wellness Initiative. The program runs events monthly to help relieve stress. In the past they held tea and meditation days and therapy dog days. They also have an online support platform and clinical therapist for students.

“There is a high amount of stress associated with the program or with the profession,” said Zarabi. “There are a lot of deadlines you have to meet, a lot of work could be overwhelming at times and it is not anything you can not get used to or you can not deal with at all, but it could trigger certain phases of various stressful times.”

He said dealing with difficult topics in cases could have something to do with mental illness too but it is most likely the amount of work.

In a 2012 interview for Lawyers with Depression, psychologist Deborah Serani said the fact lawyers deal with other people’s problems and take on the burden for a solution could be part of the reason they feel stressed or depressed.

“I think that it’s so very clear to the way a lawyer’s minds work— it’s a very black and white way of thinking,” said Serani. “The way the justice system is designed, either you’re a winner or a loser. It can make somebody who’s prone to thinking in black and white terms measure only the failures and do not see the successes.”

In order to combat mental health issues in the field one of the resources available is the Ontario Lawyers’ Assistance Program. It is a counselling program assisting lawyers and law students with stress, burnouts, addictions and other mental health concerns.

As well, the CBA, Mood Disorders Society of Canada and Bell Let’s Talk created a national, online learning program for lawyers, judges and law students to understand mental health and addiction issues and learn about treatments for them.