CPAs and accounting professionals experience high rates of burnout and mental health struggles due to long hours, intense deadlines, and high-pressure, “always-on” work environments. Studies show 51-55% of accounting professionals face burnout, with some data indicating one in three has suffered from or been diagnosed with depression.
According to ICAEW, 30.4% of accountants suffer from mental health issues and 51% admit that depression and anxiety leave them dreading to go to work. This is about half of the accounting professionals.
Our firm's annual CPA Career Satisfaction Survey, conducted in association with Accountants Forward and HB Publishing & Marketing Company, found a large percentage of CPAs working 60-plus hours a week are still highly satisfied in their careers.
MEDICINE MOST STRESSFUL MAJOR
Students studying in medicine-related fields led the pack. Right behind them were the law, social work, and engineering majors.
According to the CPA Journal, the average age of a U.S.-based CPA hovers around 52 to 53 years old. In a profession where many accounting firms enforce a retirement age of 65 or 66, a significant cohort of CPAs is poised to retire within the next decade or two.
Declining interest among students
Fewer students are choosing accounting as a major, and the pipeline of future CPAs has been shrinking for years. Enrollment declines today translate directly into fewer entry-level hires now and a smaller pool of experienced accountants down the line.
Other occupations with higher prevalence of frequent mental distress included:
Jobs with the highest depression rates often involve high stress, emotional labor, poor work-life balance, and underappreciation, with top categories including healthcare support, food preparation and serving, community and social services, and roles in arts, entertainment, sports, and media, according to recent studies. Factors like demanding environments, long hours, dealing with trauma, and low pay contribute to mental health challenges in these fields.
Their teams often work overtime to ensure they meet deadlines, especially when auditing a company or doing taxes for clients during the busy season. These long hours cause stress and burnout, which can lead to mental health problems, especially when the accountant isn't able to spend time with family and friends.
Health care and health systems.
Perhaps more than any other industry, health care workers have experienced unprecedented stress and impacts to their mental health over the last five years.
PTSD is particularly prevalent among certain occupational groups, such as police officers, firefighters, medical workers and military personnel, all of whom can experience events that might trigger PTSD.
At its core, bed rotting involves staying in bed on purpose, where individuals lay around engaging in passive activities like watching TV, phone scrolling, or napping. Fans claim it lets them “reset their brain” after burnout. Critics argue it's glorified avoidance that can breed more depression and lethargy.
Key takeaways
A few industries for potentially recession-proof jobs are health care, education, finance, law, and utilities. Some top industries that have fewer layoffs and reductions in force include the health care, legal, and essential services like public safety.
The 3-3-3 rule in mental health is a simple grounding technique to manage anxiety by focusing on your senses: name three things you see, three sounds you hear, and then move three different parts of your body. It helps interrupt overwhelming thoughts, redirects focus to the present moment (mindfulness), and calms the body by engaging your senses and encouraging gentle movement, making it useful for panic or stress.
We're also seeing very high demand for many accounting positions through 2025, from entry-level positions up to senior-level management positions. Staff accountants are essential to the day-to-day accuracy of an organization's financial operations and are often the backbone of an accounting department.