One in five judges who responded to a survey on job stress met at least one criteria for depressive disorder, according to survey results released late last month.

The most common source of stress was the importance and impact of the decisions the judges are making, according to a study published in the 2020 Journal of the Professional Lawyer.

Among the depressive disorder symptoms experienced by the judges were not having initiative (cited by 22.9%); being preoccupied with negative thoughts (20%); feeling work is no longer meaningful (17.8%); feeling they can’t wait for the day’s work to end (16.7%); and having a depressed mood (15.3%).

The most frequent cause of stress related to the importance and impact of decisions, cited by 79.7%, followed by a heavy docket of cases, cited by 73.2%.

The next-most cited stress sources were unprepared lawyers (67.6%); self-represented litigants (62.5%); dealing repeatedly with the same parties without addressing the underlying issues (58.1%); a lack of public awareness about the courts (55.5%); long work hours without a break (53.5%); hearing contentious family law issues (50.3%); isolation in judicial service (50.3%); and insufficient staff support (49.5%).

To control their stress, judges most often turned to better nutrition, cited by 88.7%, and exercise, cited by 82.3%. Other popular choices were reading educational materials (77.3%) and social support from trusted people (76.6%).

The study also recommends that judges take steps to control their stress with good habits such as exercise, better sleep, good nutrition, stretching and relaxing movement, mindfulness and relationships with others.

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