What is burnout?
The term burnout comes from the English language, from the union of two terms: burn and out, which respectively mean burn and out. The joining of the terms is best translated as something like "to be consumed by fire." From the 1980s onwards, authors such as Maslach started to use this term to designate the syndrome resulting from human emotional exhaustion, that is, a condition in which the subject has his energies consumed. Burnout syndrome, as it is called, comprises a condition of work-related stress, whose definition is not yet a closed concept. Some authors claim that the name should take into account the issue of emotional exhaustion, others authors state that this syndrome is an inadequate response of the subject to a stressful situation. chronic. Among the main characteristics of the exhaustion characteristic of the burnout syndrome is a lack of energy, a feeling of constant emotional overload and physical and mental exhaustion.
What are the symptoms of burnout syndrome?
The word syndrome designates a set of symptoms, which can be physical, psychological, behavioral, etc. In the case of burnout syndrome, the most expressive symptoms are: constant fatigue growth, disorders of sleep, muscle pain, headaches and migraines, gastrointestinal and respiratory problems, cardiovascular diseases. In women, changes in the menstrual cycle are an important physical symptom. In addition to these, there are psychological symptoms such as: difficulty concentrating, slowing or altered thinking, feelings negatives about living, working and being, impatience, irritability, low self-esteem, distrust, depression, in some cases paranoia.
From these symptoms, the subject affected by the burnout syndrome develops behaviors such as: negligence or perfectionism, aggressiveness in everyday relationships, loss of emotional flexibility and the ability to relax and to plan. In addition, it tends to isolation, loss of interest in work and other activities.
What can be the causes?
The causes of burnout syndrome comprise a multidimensional framework of individual and environmental factors, which are linked to a perception of professional devaluation. This means to say that the cause cannot be reduced to individual factors such as personality or some kind of genetic propensity. The work environment and the conditions under which it is carried out can also determine the subject's illness or not.
Some authors claim that the configuration of the burnout case would go through stages ranging from a need for professional self-assertion, passing through by common stages of intensification of dedication to work which, taken to extreme consequences, would result in the characteristic depletion of the syndrome. Among other stages, we can highlight the path that goes through the growing neglect of self-care activities, such as eating and sleep, accompanied by a repression of conflicts, characterized by not facing situations that bother and the denial of problems. In addition to these, the subject goes through a process of reinterpretation that causes important things to be discarded as useless.
In this context, one can already speak of a kind of depersonalization, since the subject acts in such different ways that he becomes “another person”, marked by signs of depression, hopelessness and exhaustion, that is, a kind of physical and mental breakdown that can be considered a medical emergency or psychological.
What are the possible treatments?
As the vast majority of cases of psychological illness with consequences of somatization, the treatment of burnout syndrome must comprise a multidisciplinary strategy: pharmacological, psychotherapeutic and doctor. It is always important to emphasize the relevance of a competently performed diagnosis, so that they do not commit errors, such as the confusion between burnout and depression, quite common in the early stages, due to the similarity of symptoms.
Regarding the use of medications, treatment is usually associated with antidepressants and anxiolytics. This treatment must be linked to psychological monitoring, which enhances the effects of use of medications through the redefinition and retaking of the meanings of the life story of the subject. In addition to these, medical monitoring and changing habits are important dimensions. Referral to new daily practices such as physical exercise and relaxation is extremely important.
Juliana Spinelli Ferrari
Brazil School Collaborator
Graduated in Psychology from UNESP - Universidade Estadual Paulista
Brief psychotherapy course by FUNDEB - Foundation for the Development of Bauru
Master's Student in School Psychology and Human Development at USP - University of São Paulo
Source: Brazil School - https://brasilescola.uol.com.br/psicologia/sindrome-burnout.htm