A deep dive into burnout among lawyers: part 2

In the second article of a two-part series, leading consultant psychologist Dr Catherine Sykes explains the potential consequences of burnout among lawyers and suggests how systematic errors in the field of law can be addressed.

What are the potential physical, mental, and emotional consequences of lawyer burnout, and how can these impact the overall well-being of legal professionals?

Work-related burnout is a state of physical and emotional exhaustion, which predominately consists of a sense of reduced accomplishment, as well as a loss of personal identity.

It is not uncommon for lawyers to suffer from various emotional, mental, behavioural and bodily burnout symptoms. However, for many lawyers, their profession is part and parcel of their identity. They may feel intense shame and fear when recognising that they may be suffering from burnout.

Unfortunately, as a consequence of workload and workplace expectations, there are fewer opportunities to recharge, keeping lawyers in a vicious cycle of burnout – recharge – burnout again. This cycle can lead to a whole host of problems, including ill health, relationship problems and other mental health issues such as anxiety and depression.

How can the systemic factors be addressed?

The issues surrounding culture within law firms must be addressed. Firms are beginning to deal with these issues, however, the road to resolving them will be long and heavy.

It is essential for firms to consider and recognise that the positive psychological resources of lawyers are just as important to individual and organisational performance as their intellectual resources. There is growing psychological evidence that psychological capital which includes hope, optimism, self-efficacy and resilience are important for a firm's success. These aspects shape the underlying attitudes and behaviours associated with increased performance.

Additionally, these psychological resources can prepare lawyers for both the occupational and psychological hazards of the profession. However, I would argue that such training and support requires careful consideration, to be tailored in a way that will consider the reality of being a lawyer; the importance of privacy and limited time regarding when and how support is provided.

Furthermore, the content of such support must consider the lawyer’s cognitive biases and thinking styles. For example, a perfectionist thinking style can easily turn psychological capital into something that works against them. Hope can become toxic positivity, optimism can become unrealistic optimism, high self-efficacy to achieve at work can be coupled with low efficacy in relationships and resilience can be converted into emotional suppression and pushing through no matter what. Unrealistic optimism, low self-efficacy and emotional suppression all contribute towards burnout.

If you are a lawyer who is experiencing burnout and would like to book a consultation with Dr Sykes, do not hesitate to do so by visiting her Top Doctors profile today.