How is it managed?
Burnout is a syndrome linked to work-related stress, which leads the subject to the exhaustion of their psycho-physical resources, to the manifestation of negative psychological symptoms (e.g. apathy, nervousness, restlessness, demoralization) that can be associated with physical problems (e.g. headache, sleep disturbances, gastrointestinal disturbances etc.). Burnout can affect any worker even if those who are most at risk are those who carry out helping professions. It is a syndrome recognized as an “occupational phenomenon” by the WHO in May 2019 but not yet as a medical condition.
What is burnout
As the WHO (The World Health Organization) suggests, burnout is a state of chronic work-related stress characterized by the feeling of complete exhaustion of one’s physical and mental energies. The term burnout literally means “burned”, “exhausted” or “burst” and is used to describe a particular form of psychophysical exhaustion related to the world of work.
Burnout is defined as “a psychological syndrome that emerges as a prolonged response to chronic interpersonal stressors in the workplace.” (Maslach, 2016) There are three main aspects that characterize the burnout syndrome:
Exhaustion: People in burnout feel drained and emotionally exhausted, unable to cope with the demands of work, tired and down in the dumps, and feel they don’t have enough energy. People feel drained and unable to recover the energy to be able to tackle new work projects.
Feeling of alienation from work activities: People in burnout find their work increasingly stressful and frustrating. They may begin to be cynical towards colleagues or towards the recipients of their work activity (e.g. towards patients). At the same time they begin to distance themselves emotionally, showing a progressive deterioration in their commitment to work.
Work performance reduction: Burnout worsens work performance, reducing motivation, concentration and creativity. As job performance declines, people feel more and more overwhelmed by professional demands and feel they are unable to adequately respond to their job duties. The person loses confidence in their abilities.
When, on the other hand, the state of exhaustion occurs in subjects who take care of their sick loved ones, we speak of a burden of the caregiver.