Lawyers on lockdown are increasingly reaching out to helplines to manage stress, anxiety and other mental health issues. Like many struggling with lockdown issues, lawyers are not immune from the daily stressors that the lockdowns have brought. The increase in calls to helplines is a good sign, as lawyers suffer from mental health, alcohol and drug issues at greater rates than the general population. Lawyers on lockdown should be lauded for reaching out for help. With vaccines being deployed, some are starting to see the light at the end of the pandemic. In the meantime, attorneys should practice self-care and reach out for help when needed.
“The number of lawyers reaching out to a legal mental health charity has risen again this year, with stress and anxiety among the top concerns. LawCare said it received 964 calls, web-chats and emails to their free support hub in 2020 — a rise of 9% on the previous year. Almost a quarter of contacts (23%) cited stress as their top concern, while 15% said they were struggling with anxiety — up sharply from 45 people in 2019 to 111 last year. A further 10% raised issues with depression and 10% flagged worries about their career development.”
Read: Lockdown issues trigger rise in calls to lawyer wellbeing helpline at Legal Cheek