Lawyers

Anger management is the inability to express anger in a healthy way. Chronic, explosive anger has serious consequences for your relationships, your health and your state of mind. Anger oftentimes masks other feelings, such as insecurity and vulnerability.

People with anxiety disorders experience constant, intrusive and unrelenting worry that dominates their thoughts and perceptions. This level of anxiety can interfere with daily responsibilities, job performance and relationships.

According to a recent lawyer impairment study completed by the American Bar Association Commission on Lawyer Assistance Programs in collaboration with the Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation, 19% of respondents reported experiencing mild or higher levels of anxiety. 61% reported concerns with anxiety at some point in their career.

As a lawyer, you may have anxiety hitting deadlines, winning cases, dealing with high-stake issues and standing out at your firm.

We all feel sad from time to time, but clinical depression is an illness that greatly impacts one’s quality of life.

According to the above mentioned lawyer impairment study, 28% of respondents reported experiencing mild or higher levels of depression. 46% reported concerns with depression at some point in their career.

Lawyers may feel alone at their place of employment because of the competitive nature of being a lawyer. You feel like you can’t make mistakes. Constantly feeling like you have to be perfect sets you up to fail. When you do finally make a mistake, you are going to feel like you let yourself down. If these feelings of defeat go on, it can progress to depression. If the depression progresses far enough, you may have suicidal thoughts or event attempt to take your own life to escape the failure you feel.

11.5% of respondents from the above mentioned survey reported suicidal thoughts at some point during their career. 2.9% reported self-injurious behaviors, and 0.7% reported at least one prior suicide attempt.

Burnout is a state of emotional, mental and physical exhaustion caused by excessive and prolonged stress and anxiety. Burnout occurs when one feels overwhelmed and unable to meet constant demands.

As stress heightens for you as a lawyer from trying to look perfect and making your boss and clients happy, you may lose focus of your hobbies and interests outside the profession, eventually losing all motivation that led you to become a lawyer in the first place.

When we think of addiction, we usually think of drugs and alcohol. However, it also refers to compulsive behaviors like gambling, sex, eating and spending money. A process addiction follows a destructive path. When left untreated, it will impact a judge’s ability to practice law. Process addictions are often coupled with mental health issues such as anxiety.

Drug or alcohol abuse is defined by having two or three symptoms of addiction. Many people experience alcohol or drug abuse problems but are able to stop using or change their patterns without progressing to addiction. The most severe form of substance abuse is addiction: a physical, chronic disease that typically requires long-term treatment. Types of addiction include: Nicotine, alcohol, illegal drugs and prescription drugs.

According to the above mentioned lawyer impairment study, 20.6% of respondents scored at a level consistent with problematic drinking. In comparison, 11.8% of a broad, highly educated workforce screened positive on the same measure.

To mask the feelings of stress, anxiety and depression you feel as a lawyer, you may turn to drugs and alcohol. If left untreated, drug and alcohol addiction can have catastrophic effects not only for us but our loved ones as well.

Compassion fatigue is the cumulative physical, emotional and psychological effects of continual exposure to traumatic or distressing events when working in a helping capacity. Exposure to client distress and trauma is one of the largest factors of compassion fatigue.

Grief is a natural response to loss. Grief can also be a normal response to change because change in life brings loss in some form, whether big or small. Grief usually throws us off balance and into chaos. Unfortunately, the world does not stop to allow us adequate time to grieve. We have to continue on life’s path while simultaneously grieving. The good news is that you are not alone. Everyone suffers loss. Grief counseling can help.

You probably went into law and wanted to be a lawyer because you wanted to help people who needed it and wanted to give citizens a voice. You wanted to make your community a better place. What can happen over time is that you may over identify with the “rescuer” role. This role then bleeds into other areas of your life. You begin to place such a low emphasis on your needs and wants and only focus on the needs of others around you. You may even feel guilty when you want to do something for yourself.

Today, we see a lot of older lawyers working late into their life. Unfortunately, at a certain age, cognitive issues may start to develop, and decision making may start to decline. Confusion, personality changes, withdrawal and memory changes can all have a negative impact on practicing law at a later age. Our program can help you transition out of the profession and even help you sell your firm if applicable.

The early signs of dementia are very subtle and may not be immediately obvious. Early symptoms also vary. Usually, people first seem to notice that there is a problem with memory, particularly in remembering recent events.

Other common symptoms include:

• Apathy and withdrawal
• Confusion
• Loss of ability to do everyday tasks
• Personality change

Sometimes, people fail to recognize these symptoms indicate that something is wrong. They may mistakenly assume that such behavior is a normal part of the aging process. Symptoms may develop gradually and go unnoticed for a long time. 

Click here for a checklist of common dementia symptoms. If there are several that you answer “yes” to, a doctor should be consulted for a complete examination.