COMMENT:
Auckland District Court Judge Robert Ronayne died in January. According to a Coronial Services spokesperson the death is being investigated as a suspected suicide. There are no easy answers. Suicide and mental distress are nuanced and complex, and it is difficult, and possibly insensitive to try to explain or make sense of all the factors that lead to suicide.
Mental distress and suicide within the legal profession are not new. International research has shown that people working in the industry experience high rates of stress, anxiety and depression. According to a 2017 Vitality Works survey, one in three people reported they could improve their mental wellbeing. Why is mental distress and suicide so prevalent within the industry? The issue of stigma and discrimination associated with mental illness may be more pronounced in an industry that attracts competitive, ambitious or high-achieving individuals.
The structure and culture of the legal industry is well documented: exploitation of juniors, fear of speaking up or questioning authority, long hours and high stress are common. The nature of the job is adversarial, it may be isolating and one may be working daily with individuals and situations of great sadness and trauma.
The impact of being exposed to trauma over time is increasingly being recognised. An Australian crime reporter last year successfully claimed damages to the value of AU$180,000 for psychological injuries sustained while employed by the Age over a 10-year period. She argued the newspaper failed to uphold a duty of care, and she suffered post-traumatic stress disorder as a result of reporting on distressing crime, injury and death. The paper appealed the payout in October. The case is interesting as it could apply to so many professions and bucks the expectation to simply "harden up''.