Calls to the mental health charity LawCare’s helpline have reached a record high.
The charity took nearly 900 calls from 616 callers in 2017. It is an 11 per cent increase on the number of callers in 2016.
Workplace stress issues accounted for more that a quarter (27 per cent) of calls, while 17 per cent of calls were depression-related
Disciplinary concerns (8 per cent), anxiety (7 per cent), bereavement (7 per cent) financial problems (4 per cent) and bullying and harassment (4 per cent) also accounted for a significant number of calls.
Some 65 per cent of callers to the helpline were women, while and 45 per cent were either trainees or under five years qualified.
LawCare CEO Elizabeth Rimmer said: “These figures show that more lawyers are willing to come forward and ask for help. We are working with our partners across the legal community to raise awareness about why mental health matters. Law can be a pressured industry to work in with long hours and a heavy workload which can lead to stress and mental health issues. LawCare is here for all legal professionals through our helpline, we offer one-on-one peer support and we also work with employers to promote wellbeing at work. We would encourage the legal community not to stay silent and to contact us for support if needed.”
The LawCare helpline is 0800 279 6888 in the UK and 1800 991 801 in Ireland.
