What burnout means
"Burnout" gets used for everything from a bad week to a breakdown. The World Health Organization (WHO) gives it a specific meaning. In the ICD-11, its international classification, burnout is listed as an occupational phenomenon, not a medical condition. WHO defines it as a syndrome resulting from chronic workplace stress that has not been successfully managed, with three dimensions:
- Feelings of energy depletion or exhaustion
- Increased mental distance from your job, or negativity and cynicism about it
- Reduced professional efficacy, the sense that you are no longer good at your work
WHO says the term refers specifically to work and should not be applied to other areas of life. In everyday speech people also talk about caregiver or parenting burnout. InformedHealth.org, published by Germany's Institute for Quality and Efficiency in Health Care, notes that the term is now used for overworked employees and homemakers alike, and that there are very different ideas about what exactly burnout is.
What depression adds
Depression and burnout overlap. Both can bring exhaustion, low mood, poor concentration and trouble getting through the day. InformedHealth.org points to a few differences that help separate them:
- Scope: in depression, negative thoughts and feelings are not only about specific demands such as work. They spread into weekends, hobbies, relationships and how you see yourself.
- Self-worth: low self-esteem and feelings of guilt are typical of depression, not of burnout.
- Hope: hopelessness and thoughts of suicide are symptoms of depression. They are not considered typical of burnout.
A simple way to think about it: burnout says "this job is draining me." Depression often says "I am the problem, and nothing will get better." For a fuller picture of depression, see What Depression Can Look Like in Adults.
Some questions to ask yourself
These are not a test, and only a clinician can sort out what is going on. They are prompts to notice patterns:
- On a real day off, or a week of vacation, does any energy or enjoyment come back?
- Is the dread mostly about work, or does it follow you into things you used to like?
- Do you mainly feel angry at the job, or mostly blame yourself?
- Have friends, food, music or sex lost their pull too?
- Are you sleeping, eating or drinking differently than before?
Mayo Clinic's list of burnout warning signs includes questioning the value of your work, dragging yourself to work, losing patience with coworkers or clients, using food, drugs or alcohol to numb how you feel, changes in sleep, and headaches or stomach problems with no clear cause. Mayo adds that these symptoms can also be linked to health conditions such as depression.
Why getting the label right matters
The two call for different help. Mayo Clinic notes that depression and burnout are different and need different treatments. InformedHealth.org gives a concrete example: people who are exhausted only because of work can recover with a longer vacation or time off. For someone with depression, time off alone may not help and can even make things worse, because what they need is psychological treatment, medication or both.
There is also a link between them. Both sources note that burnout can raise the risk of depression. A long stretch of burnout is a reason to pay attention, not to push harder.
InformedHealth.org also cautions that online burnout questionnaires cannot determine whether someone has burnout, and that physical illness or certain medications can cause exhaustion too. A checkup with your doctor is a sensible early step, especially if fatigue is the main symptom. Medical Conditions and Medications That Can Cause Anxiety or Depression covers what a doctor may look for.
What tends to drive burnout
Mayo Clinic lists common causes: little control over your schedule or workload, unclear expectations, conflict with a boss or coworkers, work that is either overwhelming or monotonous, lack of support, and a job that leaves nothing for family and friends. Helping professions, such as health care, carry extra risk.
Because the causes sit partly in the job, real change often has to happen there too. That might mean a conversation with a manager about scope or hours, using time off you have been saving, or deciding the role no longer fits. If you are thinking about leave or accommodations, Taking Time Off Work for Mental Health in Michigan explains the options.
Steps that can ease burnout
Mayo Clinic notes that while burnout often involves things you cannot control at work, you can change how you cope. Its suggestions include:
- Talking with your boss about your concerns, and setting realistic goals for what must get done and what can wait
- Asking coworkers, friends or family for support; Mayo notes that a sense of belonging protects against burnout
- Checking whether your job offers an employee assistance program
- Regular exercise, enough sleep, and relaxing practices such as yoga, meditation or a few deep breaths during the day
- Practicing mindfulness: noticing what is going on inside and around you without judging or reacting
If things at work are unlikely to change, Mayo adds, it may be time to look for a role that fits better. If these steps bring no relief, or the low mood follows you everywhere, that is a strong reason to be evaluated for depression.
Where therapy helps
Therapy can help with either, and with working out which one you are dealing with. For burnout, it can be a place to look at why limits are hard to hold, what keeps you saying yes, and what you want from work. For depression, it is part of treatment. Many people have some of both.
Dr. Lehmann, a licensed clinical psychologist in Franklin, sees adults for depression therapy and anxiety, in person or by telehealth for clients located in Michigan. Daytime appointments run Monday through Thursday.