The Mental Health and Wellbeing Crisis
“1 in 3 Covid-19 sufferers has long-lasting brain damage” was the finding of an Oxford University study undertaken into the long-term effects on people that contracted Covid-19.
Brain damage leads to a whole range of mental health problems having a knock-on effect on other areas of a person's life. The study shows that the figure has increased since 2008 when the Royal College of Psychiatrists reported in their Mental Health & Work Report that 1 in 6.8 people suffer mental health and psychological problems long before the pandemic started.
At the time of writing this article, we know that in total 4,375,814 have tested positive in the UK for Covid-19 however, many displayed symptoms and self-isolated without taking a test, and then some are asymptomatic which suggests the statistics would likely be much higher if we had accurate data to rely on.
These statistics are enough to conclude that we are and have been in a mental health crisis for a long time. Also, there are gradual changes brought about after Brexit to the loosening of employment laws creating toxic and hostile working environments for people coupled with the lack of support from employers, reduced access to treatments as the government tries to cut down on NHS spending, negative social media culture, loneliness, and financial problems increasing the levels of anxiety, depression, and trauma. And for those who were already suffering from those symptoms, the pandemic may have triggered those feelings.
Facing a crisis in these modern times presents very complex issues for everybody which will no doubt change the way we live, the decisions we make, and what we see as a priority. But sometimes change is a good thing, it forces us to reassess our purpose, and to be on the safe side we should not make plans that are too long-term and which do not account for unexpected changes. Having this in mind makes us more accepting of what could come in the future.
Mental health can be complex, there are times when we feel our most resilient, and then there are times when we are less able to deal with problems. Each person has their own resilience levels, there is no quick fix and no cures to mental health problems but we can manage, support people, and can create a culture where addressing the mental health crisis is a priority.
In the legal sector, for a long time, the attitude has been to just “stick it out”, to instill fear into employees as a way of releasing pressure that has built up and using junior employees as scapegoats. There is the perception that lawyers are confident, tough, and can deal with anything put in front of them.
However, if you speak to any of them they will all tell you their experience of working in the law, their fears of making mistakes, working long hours to impress their firm, and the need to meet clients' expectations (even if they are unreasonable or unrealistic!). These working practices breed long-term mental health problems, imposter syndrome and also is estimated to cost employers £26 billion a year.
Lawyers are expected to be perfectionists and apply this to every aspect of their life.
This is one of the key problems with the way that lawyers think and what they expect from their employees. The need for their work and their manners to be completely flawless but they are not machines. They are human, make mistakes, and are not flawless. Changing their thinking so that it is accepted that mistakes will happen and focussing on solutions, rather than problems is needed.
Working long hours and being expected to be constantly on call doesn’t allow us to switch off and separate our personal lives from our work. We need to take personal responsibility for managing our time effectively and if your employer doesn't support that, then they are not taking steps to ensure that their employees are working in a safe and healthy environment.
As lawyers your mind is your greatest asset, the knowledge and the skills that are developed over time are something that cannot be replaced by a computer. So that means looking after your mind comes before your careers.
There is a lot more awareness of the crisis in the legal sector, keeping mental health a top priority will ensure that people feel empowered and fulfilled in their careers.
