Burnout: a pervasive and damaging condition Burnout is more than a trivial term to describe how you feel on Friday afternoon. In fact, a growing body of research suggests it is a chronic constellation of emotional exhaustion, depersonalisation and reduced sense of accomplishment1. Importantly, burnout does not discriminate, and can affect people in all professions. Signs and symptoms of burnout: 2,3 Emotional symptoms Physical symptoms Behavioural signs Helplessness Lack of energy / fatigue Feeling negative or critical about your job Cynicism Change in sleep habits Irritability with colleagues or clients Self-doubt Unexplained physical discomfort such as headaches or bowel issues Reduced productivity Reduced satisfaction Change in appetites Using food, drugs or alcohol to cope Detachment Frequent illness Procrastination Loss of motivation Withdrawal or isolation Is it really that big of a problem? Due to multifactorial components and subjectivity of diagnostic criteria, it is difficult to accurately state how common burnout is in the general working population. Some estimates range up to 20%, but this is dependent on the defined cut off for a burnout diagnosis4. A 2020 report found a rate of burnout in medical physicians of around 43% 4. While burnout rates across various healthcare profession and medical…
