Lawyers are 3.6 times more likely than the general public to suffer from depression. Therapists may not be more depressed than the general public, but they do a really poor job of recognizing their own mental health issues. When you add to this mix dealing with family law problems, the professionals really struggle. After all, those of us in the Trenches deal with people who are emotional, stressed and angry. It's our jobs to help them deal with their emotions, assess their options and make decisions. As a result, we bear the brunt of their not so pleasant feelings. That's on top of dealing with the everyday stresses of our jobs. All of the above is why I started a divorce professionals support group. Everyone thought it was a great idea. For the first few months, everyone made sure to schedule the time. Then, this month, it was just one other person and me. Everyone else had a commitment for a client that precluded their attendance. Really? This lunch has been on the calendar for a month. I made sure nothing conflicted with it; so did the other person. Everyone else allowed their clients to intrude. Maybe that's why we suffer from depression - we lack boundaries and don't make ourselves a priority. We care for our clients and ignore our own health. Here in the Trenches.
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