“What do you do for a living?” is one of the most common questions you’re asked when you meet someone new, reinforcing how peoples’ jobs shape their identity. When identity and employment are so intertwined, it’s important to pay attention to how your work may be affecting your mental health.
As a practicing physician and psychiatrist who researches innovations to reduce workplace burnout by enhancing inclusion and belonging, I’ve noticed a distinct shift in our culture. Workplace burnout is now nearly universal: A recent survey showed that 66% of American employees are experiencing burnout.
The COVID pandemic triggered a threefold increase in rates of depression. The pandemic also powerfully highlighted people’s desire for greater professional fulfillment. Dubbed the “great resignation,” a record number of people quit their jobs in 2021, citing three top reasons for their departure:
— Low pay
— Limited opportunities for career advancement
— Disrespect in the workplace
Burnout and depression share some overlapping symptoms, but they are distinct conditions with different treatment approaches. For this reason, knowing the difference between depression and burnout is critical.
[Read: What to Expect When Calling a Mental Health Hotline.]
What Is Burnout?
Burnout is chronic physical and emotional exhaustion stemming from long-lasting and excessive stress.
The late psychologist Dr. Herbert Freudenberger coined the term “burnout syndrome” in the 1970s when he described his own mental state of exhaustion as well as what he observed in colleagues at work.
Burnout overview and symptoms
Notably, the World Health Organization (WHO) includes burnout in the 11th Revision of the International Classification of Diseases (ICD-11) as an occupational phenomenon rather than as a medical condition. According to the WHO, three specific dimensions characterize burnout:
— Feelings of emotional exhaustion
— Feelings of cynicism about one’s job
— Reduced professional efficacy
Given that burnout is not a mental health condition, it’s not included in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, the American Psychiatric Association’s standard classification of mental health disorders.
When people experience burnout, they often feel a loss of professional efficacy. This means that the sense of accomplishment that they used to feel from the meaning, value and purpose behind their work is diminished, all of which are rich sources of motivation and powerful drivers of retention in the workplace.
But what makes burnout different from depression, which can also occur in response to workplace stressors?
[Related:What Are the Signs of Burnout]
What Is Depression?
Depression is an umbrella term referring to a group of conditions characterized by a persistently depressed mood. Depression can be a component of several psychiatric disorders, including bipolar disorder or dysthymia, a mild, long-lasting form of depression.
Impact of depression
Depression is a medical condition with a complex set of factors that drive its onset, including genetic, neurobiological and environmental factors. Depression is a major reason for seeking health care treatment and is also a leading cause of mortality: The CDC estimates that the number of deaths due to suicide was more than 49,000 in 2023.
Depression symptoms
The term depression is often used interchangeably with a major depressive episode. In a major depressive episode, for a two week period or more, people experience a depressed mood or reduced interest or pleasure in activities with at least 5 or more additional symptoms. These symptoms include:
— Sleep and weight changes
— Fatigue or loss of energy
— Diminished ability to concentrate
— Feelings of worthlessness or guilt
— Slowing of one’s movement or speech
— Recurrent thoughts of death or suicidal ideation
A hallmark of depression is that it affects a person’s functioning, either in social settings or at work.
[READ: What Not to Say to Someone With Depression.]
Burnout vs. Depression
A key difference between burnout and depression is that burnout is a psychological stress response specifically to one’s work environment, while depression is a complex medical condition with a variety of causes.
Depression can also occur outside of what someone might be experiencing at work and causes functional impairment. Additionally, symptoms like changes in sleep, appetite, energy and concentration all signal the neurobiological basis for depression.
The neurobiology of depression
Dr. David Silbersweig, Chairman Emeritus of Psychiatry at Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Stanley Cobb Professor of Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School points to specific brain circuits implicated in depression. He says that depression is associated with abnormalities in different parts of the brain.
Although depression and burnout have clearly distinguishable features, depression can be a driver of burnout and burnout can raise the risk of depression causing the experience of both at the same time. For this reason, Dr. Silbersweig notes the importance of screening for depression among those who report burnout.
How to Cope With Burnout
In my work leading interventions to mitigate burnout, I’ve found that in general, peer and leadership support are critical to helping people cope with burnout.
When it comes to the workplace, there are actionable techniques to mitigating burnout:
— Cultivating a self-awareness about one’s level of burnout and that of individuals on the team. Simply identifying the causes of burnout and reflecting on your level of fulfillment in the workplace is a good first step towards mitigating burnout. For example, managers might have employees set goals for the year. Asking employees “why” they’re setting those goals can help them to identify the motivation behind their work.
— Leading authentic conversations about the topic. Managers and people in leadership positions can make actionable change by scheduling and leading open conversations about burnout, asking colleagues to identify points of fulfillment in their work and pain points.
— Discussing opportunities for action with changes in the system or culture of an organization. Self-awareness and conversations about burnout must be paired with actionable organizational change. This could be through encouraging work-life balance, offering meaningful outreach opportunities and encouraging self-care.
In this process, the experience of feeling heard and validated are integral and organizations must nurture cultures in which peers and leaders feel empowered to participate in these discussions. Interventions that have been shown to successfully address burnout take an institutional approach to measurement and action. One recent investigation showed that individual level interventions such as mindfulness or resilience and stress management classes do not enhance employee well-being, reinforcing the importance of organizational change.
“Burnout is an occupational distress syndrome that comes as a consequence of the environment, so it’s important to optimize the work environment not fix the individual,” says Dr. Christine Sinksy, vice president of professional fulfillment for the American Medical Association.
If you’re personally feeling signs of burnout despite your best efforts at self-care and work-life balance, try having a conversation with your colleagues about how they’re feeling as well. They may have advice about techniques that work for them, and just knowing that others are on the same page as well can be a great start.
As a secondary step, mention how you’re feeling to a manager, human resources or an employee assistance program. Since burnout is a consequence of the environment that you work in, those who have the power to change the environment must be aware of what’s going on and how to help.
When to Seek Help
Clinical depression should not be ignored. If you feel persistently down, no longer enjoy your usual activities, or if your sleep, appetite, concentration or energy have changed, it’s critical to follow up with a medical professional.
As organizational culture progresses, the hope is that identifying a trusted colleague to talk to about burnout gets easier. If you feel overwhelmed or emotionally exhausted, ask for help from coworkers, managers and family and friends, as well as talk with a therapist or other mental health professional. Whether it’s burnout or depression, know that you aren’t alone.
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Burnout vs. Depression: How to Tell the Difference originally appeared on usnews.com
