Recently, the World Health Organization (WHO) has recognized “burn-out” as a medical condition.
The decision was made at the World Health Assembly in Geneva. It can help develop new diagnosis and intervention tools.
According to scientists from NIH, a stressful lifestyle can put people under extreme pressure, to the point that they feel exhausted, empty, burned out, and unable to cope.
Different from other mental illnesses like depression and anxiety, burnout is hard to define because it has a wide range of symptoms.
Previous research has shown that the main symptoms include:
Feeling extremely tired: People affected feel drained and emotionally exhausted, unable to cope, tired and down, and do not have enough energy. They may experience pain and stomach or bowel problems.
Cannot finish work-related activities: Burnout can make jobs increasingly stressful and frustrating. People may start being cynical about their working conditions and their colleagues.
They may increasingly distance themselves emotionally, and start feeling numb about their work.
Reduced daily life performance: People with the condition cannot finish everyday tasks at work, at home or when caring for family members.
They are very negative about their tasks and find it hard to concentrate.
Compared with depression, burnout is much more work-related.
Currently, the most commonly used tool for diagnosing burnout is the “Maslach Burnout Inventory” (MBI). But this tool is mainly for research purposes, not for doctors.
The new WHO recognition of burnout as a medical condition may help scientists create better ways to detect and treat the disease.
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