| THE ONTARIO LAWYERS’ ASSISTANCE PROGRAM What do Perfectionism and Pessimism have in Common? “ Lawyers are trained to be prudent. Some folks call that pessimism .” Jean Hollands What do the following things have anything in common-- pessimism, perfectionism, anxiety, worrying, feeling overwhelmed, loss of sleep and irritability? These are symptoms of depression and anxiety. These are part of life in small amounts but in combination and when these factors persist it is time for a second look at the causes and ways to manage them. Many lawyers who contact OBAP report feeling overwhelmed, exhausted, and unable to face the files before them. Some have waited so long that they have a list of unanswered calls and problem files demanding immediate action, maybe even a letter from the law society or a complaint. Does that sound like anyone you know? It is time to take action. Did you know?
Leading psychologist in the field of anxiety and depression Michael Yapko makes the following points:**
1. During the past month (or more) have you often been bothered by feeling down, depressed or hopeless? 2. During the past month (or more) have you often had little interest or pleasure in doing things? In a study by Dr. Martin Seligman the legal profession was the only profession that demonstrated success was correlated with pessimism rather than optimism. The reason is simple--lawyers are trained to look for negative possibilities. Lawyers must be diligent for their clients’ interests—to protect clients in marital discord, prepare wills, set out contracts and define business activities. If you have to protect the world by anticipating negative consequences, you may tend toward pessimism. This may also transfer from the office to home and personal relationships.*** It is difficult for lawyers to acknowledge that there may be a problem. They believe that feelings like this are just part of the job and to acknowledge that they are having difficulty would negatively affect their career. Lawyers often work in relative isolation so they may think they are the only one feeling like this. Many people report that they were unaware that they were depressed. Many lawyers have very high expectations of themselves. When meeting these expectations proves to be impossible there is the associated anxiety of what will happen next and the despair that they have let down themselves and others.
The good news People who get help for depression and anxiety have a very high rate of success. A combination of medication and psychotherapy has been shown to produce the best results. Don’t hesitate to ask questions, look for help, and feel better. Contact your doctor or health professional or the many resources available about depression and anxiety including the Resources of Interest on the OBAP web site at www.obap.ca References * Adrian Hill, LPAC, Toolbox for a Healthy Practice, CBA publication, 1998 **Michael D. Yapko, Ph. D, Breaking the Patterns of Depression , McGraw Hill, 2000. ***Jean Hollands, Why lawyers are sometimes unhappy, Los Altos Town Crier, 2003 *************************************************************** Confidential help and information is available for lawyers and their families. Ontario Bar Assistance Program lawyers helping lawyers since 1978 www.obap.ca Leota Embleton, Program Manager 416 241-799983 John G Starzynski, Volunteer Executive Director 1 877-6227 LINK Lawyers Assistance Program Eng. 1 866 261-6704 French 1 866 261-6718 LPAC Legal Profession Assistance Conference 416 520-9016 www.LPAC.CA The Advocates’ Brief March 2004BACK TO MAIN LEOTA EMBLETON ARTICLES PAGE CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD A PRINTABLE VERSION OF THIS ARTICLE (MS WORD)
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