Law Practice Can Trigger Stress Disorder, Says Attorney Who Now Works as Therapist
A sense of impending doom is a common feeling for many attorneys in practice: From the mistake made when drafting a document or taking a deposition to a transgression that you may not even be aware of yet, there’s always something lurking in your consciousness to produce a feeling of being “in trouble.”
For him personally, writes Will Meyerhofer, a former BigLaw associate who now works as a psychotherapist, “it got to the point for me, at Sullivan & Cromwell, that I felt my entire body clench in preparation for attack just walking through the doors of 125 Broad Street and stepping into that elevator.” His post, however, indicates that law practice, in general, rather than any particular law firm, is the cause of such stress.
Such feelings of constant anxiety, he says in a People’s Therapist post, can rise to the level of a diagnosable case of post-traumatic stress disorder, which is characterized by a state of hyper-vigilance to potential attack, a deadening of emotions and flashbacks or nightmares concerning stressful situations.
Creating a “safe zone” within a difficult work environment, so that you can let your guard down and relax, can make a critical difference, Meyerhofer says. (He also advises finding another position if a job is too stressful.)
Hat tip: Above the Law.
