Burnout among lawyers, the silent epidemic

Last June CRLisboa and OPP signed a protocol to promote mental health literacy. Experts share a few strategies to enhance well-being in the workplace

Experts: João Massano, lawyer and CRLisboa president, Raquel Raimundo, president of the Southern Regional Delegation of OPP and Raquel Sampaio, lawyer, executive director, and co-founder of Direito Mental.

by glória paiva 

Feelings of energy exhaustion, increased mental distance from one’s job, feelings of negativism or cynicism, and reduced professional efficacy. These are the three dimensions identified by the World Health Organization (WHO) that characterize burnout syndrome, which was included in the International Classification of Diseases as an occupational phenomenon in 2019. A few months later, the worst moments of the Covid pandemic brought with them a parallel “epidemic”: high rates of burnout and other mental health disturbances among the global population, an old, chronic problem that has worsened even further in the past four years.

Nowadays, it still represents a significant challenge for organizations and workers, and those in the legal sector are among the most susceptible populations. Last June, the Conselho Regional de Lisboa da Ordem dos Advogados (CRLisboa) signed an unprecedented protocol with the Ordem dos Psicólogos Portugueses (OPP). The aim of this initiative is to boost psychological health literacy and well-being in the Portuguese capital’s legal community.

CRLisboa is acutely aware of the problem’s dimensions: a study conducted by the entity in 2022 found that 52.5% of lawyers were at risk of burnout, with 16.4% already diagnosed. The survey, answered by 2,056 lawyers, confirmed the Council’s suspicions and has since led to initiatives such as podcasts, conferences, multidisciplinary events, and partnerships on mental health, such as the one with the OPP.

“During the pandemic and post-pandemic period, there was a significant change in behaviors in general, and among lawyers in particular. We noticed that people were different,” says CRLisboa president, lawyer João Massano. Two years ago, the study’s results prompted the creation of the Gabinete de Promoção do Bem-Estar Psicológico (GaBEP), which also offers psychotherapy sessions—330 consultations and 80 screenings have been conducted since its inception.

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