Mental health difficulties are common in legal work, and if you’re an attorney reading this, you probably know that firsthand. The same profession that requires you to be relentless for other people can make it hard for you to do the same for yourself.
While it may not be possible to remove all stress and pressure from the role, there is effective attorney mental health support available that won’t impact your career.
With this in mind, this page covers:
Attorney work is adversarial by design. Conflict is part of the job and something that attorneys have to deal with every day.
Cases themselves are high stakes, no matter how big they are, because one lapse in concentration or one stone left unturned can change the course of someone’s career or affect their freedom.
Client expectations, mounting paperwork, and deadlines and meetings all add to the pressure of attorneys’ responsibilities. All of this is why legal work ranks among the most stressful careers there is.
Rates of mental health problems in the legal profession sit well above the general population. Researchers suggest the problem is structural rather than being based on a person’s resilience.[1] Three of the most common mental health conditions affecting attorneys include:
Burnout is a state of chronic emotional and physical exhaustion that is brought on by prolonged stress. It can present as:
Research on burnout has identified a combination of high demands and low control as the main drivers of professional burnout. Legal work fits that pattern well.[2] The workload is relentless, but you have limited say over how you manage it.
This combination is very difficult to escape in legal work. Even when you’re highly skilled, much of your working day can be influenced by forces out of your control. This imbalance is what increases cognitive overload and then drives burnout.
The legal system comes with its own set of unique challenges, and one of them is the moral weight of the work.
For example, you may have spent years representing positions that you don’t personally agree with. Or you may have worked within a system where the outcome doesn’t always reflect what’s morally right. Either one can cause internal conflict.
It may not surface immediately, but if experienced enough, it can start to erode the sense of meaning that brought you into the profession in the first place.
This is known as moral injury, and research finds that those in the legal profession are among those who experience it.[1] Moral injury is also linked with higher rates of depression, suggesting that the job itself may contribute to lawyer depression.[3]
Research shows that lawyers are more likely to experience chronic stress and sleep deprivation.[1] Both can be catalysts for more severe mental health conditions, like anxiety.
Figures show that around 19% of attorneys report anxiety, which is higher than the general population.[1] Anxiety can come from multiple directions and affect every part of the job and your home life too.
Research found that lawyers were twice as likely as the general population to contemplate suicide.[4] In fact, those reporting high levels of stress were 22 times more likely to report suicidal thoughts than peers with low levels of stress.[4]
The study also found that the connection between burnout and suicidal ideation disappeared once depression was accounted for.[4] This suggests that burnout on its own may not drive suicidal thoughts, but when burnout develops into depression, which is common in the legal profession, the risk increases.
Add the stigma around seeking help to the pressure of the role, and attorneys can end up struggling without anybody knowing.
If you’ve had suicidal or self-harming thoughts, even briefly, please reach out. The 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline is available by call or text at any time. If you’re currently experiencing these types of thoughts, please contact emergency services as soon as possible.
Barriers to mental health treatment exist across all kinds of professions, but those in legal work face distinct roadblocks. These can make reaching out for professional support less likely.
One study asked attorneys directly what stopped them from seeking clinical support.[5] The most common answer was not wanting others to find out they needed help. The second most common was concerns about privacy and confidentiality.[5]
In a profession that runs on reputation, disclosing a mental health condition to either the company you work for or your clients may feel unthinkable. In practice, that fear may be unfounded. Bar rules do not generally require you to tell your firm or your clients about your own mental health treatment, unless it affects how well you can represent them.
Surveys of law students found that 45% believed seeking help for a mental health issue would threaten their ability to be admitted to the bar, with follow-up studies finding similar answers.[6]
Thirty states plus Washington, D.C., include at least one question about the mental health status of bar applicants.[7] However, the mental health status of a candidate is not taken into consideration in twenty-three states. These include some of those states where bar applicants may be asked a mental health question.
Attorneys who learned early that disclosure may affect their career are much less likely to seek the help they needed before going into the profession and during it.
AMFM is here to help you or your loved one take the next steps towards an improved mental well-being.
Everyone has stressful periods in their jobs, and most people get through them in time. But if the stress from law work is affecting your work-life balance and daily life, it’s time to reach out.
SAMHSA identifies warning signs that apply across many mental health conditions, including:[8]
If any of these have been present for two or more weeks, professional support is warranted.
Every state has a Lawyer Assistance Program that provides free and confidential support designed specifically for those in the field. These programs are exempt from reporting you to bar regulatory bodies, and thousands of attorneys have used them for advice and support.
If outpatient treatment is recommended, sessions can be scheduled flexibly around your caseload.
If any of the conditions you’re dealing with haven’t responded to outpatient support, or you’ve taken extended time away and nothing has changed, the next option could be residential treatment.
Residential mental health treatment provides the opportunity to step away from day-to-day life and focus solely on your recovery.
Typically, residential programs last around 45 to 60 days, during which you’d enter a calming and structured environment, with expert support on hand around the clock.
Treatment addresses both the symptoms you’re experiencing and the factors behind them, whatever they may be.
The Family and Medical Leave Act entitles eligible employees to up to 12 weeks of unpaid, job-protected leave for a serious health condition, and mental health conditions are included.[9]
Your medical information is kept confidential, and your employer is prohibited from retaliating against you for taking the leave.
Eligibility requires 12 months of employment and at least 1,250 hours worked in the prior year.[9] A 45- to 60-day residential program fits within the 12-week FMLA window, meaning most eligible attorneys can complete treatment with their job protected.
Some states also have their own family and medical leave laws that go beyond the federal minimum. An HR contact, or an employment attorney if you would rather keep it outside your own firm, can tell you what applies where you work.
A Mission For Michael (AMFM) provides treatment for adults experiencing various conditions. Mental Health support is a phone call away – call 866-478-4383 to learn about our current treatment options.
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If the demands of legal work have led to burnout, depression, anxiety, or substance use risk that you can’t manage on your own, AMFM (A Mission For Michael) Mental Health Treatment can help you take the next step. We maintain full confidentiality throughout the attorney mental health treatment process for those concerned about professional visibility.
Our team of expert clinicians believes in treatment persistence and will personalize your treatment plan so you can achieve lasting, life-changing outcomes. We provide residential mental health treatment for attorneys who are dealing with:
We offer an intimate, focused mental health treatment experience for adults in home-like settings that are carefully maintained to be peaceful, comfortable spaces. AMFM Mental Health Treatment provides the full spectrum of care, including residential treatment and multiple levels of outpatient treatment programs.
Our locations in California, Minnesota, Virginia, and Washington accept insurance and are in-network with most major providers. To check your insurance coverage for mental health care, simply complete our confidential online verification form or call us at 866-478-4383.
Reach out to us if you would like to start the admissions process or learn more about how we can support your mental well-being. Our compassionate team is available 24/7 to answer your questions and provide guidance with no obligation.
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At AMFM, we strive to provide the most up-to-date and accurate medical information based on current best practices, evolving information, and our team’s approach to care. Our aim is that our readers can make informed decisions about their healthcare.
Our reviewers are credentialed medical providers specializing and practicing behavioral healthcare. We follow strict guidelines when fact-checking information and only use credible sources when citing statistics and medical information. Look for the medically reviewed badge on our articles for the most up-to-date and accurate information.
If you feel that any of our content is inaccurate or out of date, please let us know at info@amfmhealthcare.com
