LawCare supports and promotes good mental health and wellbeing across the legal community, both in ireland and Britain.
Calls to the LawCare helpline in 2016 rose by 12 percent compared with 2015. In Ireland, the number of calls rose by 32 percent. The top two most common reasons for calls remain the same, with stress at 38 percent of calls [37 percent in 2015] and depression at 12 percent [11 percent].
The number of calls about career development have risen from 4 percent in 2015 to 11 percent, while disciplinary issues have fallen from 12 percent to 10 percent. The other main reasons for calls were bullying / harassment at 7 per cent [9 percent]; financial problems at 6 percent [5 percent]; alcohol-related issues, 3 percent [5 percent]; ethical issues, 3 percent [4 percent], and Other issues, including bereavement, drugs, relationship issues and chronic illness were at 10 percent [13 percent].
Women made 62 percent of calls, with men at 38 percent, a change from 65 percent and 35 percent in 2015 respectively.
“What the increase in calls to the helpline shows is that more people are aware of LawCare and the specialist support we offer across the legal profession,” explains Elizabeth Rimmer, CEO. “We are not surprised that stress is still the number one reason for calls: this can be work-related, or due to personal issues.
“We continue to raise awareness about what we provide, and the value of our service, to all sectors of the legal community. We want to encourage people in the legal profession to talk about their mental health and wellbeing, so we can tackle the stigma associated with it, particularly in the workplace.”
