TV has produced a couple of generations of students who seem to think everything is solved in 1 hour.
There were times I thought equity lectures were too short. I'd happily sit through 4 hours of lectures on equity. Too me it brought the law alive to the real world.
As to fierce competition, well this is an internalised behaviour, not forced on you by others. I have no intention of working for a top tier law firm and spending 12-14 hour days making the partners richer. But each to their own.
And all professions requiring advanced skills and knowledge have higher rates of depression and mental illness than the general population. It is a function of being self-motivated and driven that is the cause, not the profession.