Burnout (Burn-Out Syndrome): What is it? Causes, Symptoms and Therapy

burnout depends on the individual response to a professional situation perceived as exhausting from a psychophysical point of view. In this context, the individual does not have adequate behavioral or cognitive resources and strategies to cope with this feeling of physical and emotional exhaustion.

Therefore, the worker who is subject to it, gets to the point of "can't do it anymore" and feels completely dissatisfied and prostrated by the daily routine. Over time, Burnout can lead to a mental detachment from one's job, with an attitude of indifference, malevolence and cynicism towards the recipients of the work activity. Burnout should not be underestimated, considering its temporary and unimportant symptoms: demoralization and negativity for their own context they can sometimes lead to depression and other more complex disorders to deal with.

The strategies to overcome the burn-out syndrome are different and include cognitive behavioral psychotherapy, the modification of work habits and the adoption of useful measures to counteract stress in everyday life.

, although some manifestations can be shared.

We cannot speak of burnout, therefore, if:

• People suffer from chronic stress in other situations, such as family or relationships;
• You suffer from:
  • Specific anxiety disorders and phobias;
  • Disorders of adaptation;
  • Mood disorders, including depression.

It is not a question of burnout when work stress is only temporary, predictable and limited in time and the reactions to the psychophysical commitment regress with short recovery breaks.

of the person. Burnout can be related to different components of the work sphere, of an organizational type or related to communication and safety in the workplace, such as:

• Expectations related to the role:
  • Excessive workload: if it exceeds the individual's ability to cope with it, it can predispose to burnout;
  • Lack of control over the resources needed to carry out one's work: there seems to be an "association between burnout and the lack of autonomy to carry out the activity in the way it deems most effective" or the ability to take responsibility for important decisions;
  • Contrasting values: the inconsistency between the values ​​of the individual and of the organization can result in the pressure of a choice between what you want to do and what, instead, you have to do;
  • Inadequate activities with respect to the skills of the worker or increased responsibility, without the right compensation;
• Interpersonal relationships:
  • Difficult interactions with colleagues or clients;
  • Frequent conflicts in job scheduling or interruptions;
• The characteristics of the working environment:
  • Inadequate health and safety policies;
  • Low levels of worker support;
• The organization of work itself:
  • Insufficient communication and management;
  • Unclear tasks and objectives;
  • Programs that change often;
  • Inflexible schedules and unrealistic deadlines;
  • Limited or poor participation in the decision-making processes of one's own area of ​​work.

To these situations, we add:

• Lack of recognition (both social and economic) of the result;
• Lack of fairness (i.e. the perception of honesty and fairness that favors satisfaction and motivation);
• Presence of high risks, such as for rescuers or public safety officers;
• Mobbing and psychological harassment.