Those experiencing mental and emotional exhaustion from their jobs now have a medical excuse, thanks to the World Health Organization (WHO).
The WHO now recognizes “Burnout” as an official medical condition, according to USA Today. As the outlet noted, the condition is included in a revision of the International Classification of Diseases (ICD) under a section titled “Problems associated with employment or unemployment.”
Here’s the description, from the WHO:
Burn-out is a syndrome conceptualized as resulting from chronic workplace stress that has not been successfully managed. It is characterized by three dimensions: 1) feelings of energy depletion or exhaustion; 2) increased mental distance from one’s job, or feelings of negativism or cynicism related to one’s job; and 3) reduced professional efficacy. Burn-out refers specifically to phenomena in the occupational context and should not be applied to describe experiences in other areas of life.
We’ve all experienced these feelings at some point in our professional life, and the WHO designation excludes those who have been diagnosed with other stress-related medical conditions, including anxiety and mood disorders.
Now, according to CBS News, doctors can diagnose someone with the above three symptoms as suffering from burnout. The outlet reported that the National Institutes of Health said anyone can suffer from burnout, “from stressed-out careerists and celebrities to overworked employees and homemakers.” CBS also included a survey from Gallup that found 1 in 4 respondents claimed to be feeling burned out “always” or “often.” Forty-four percent said they felt that way “sometimes.”
CNN reported that Psychologist Herbert Freudenberger was the first to study burnout in 1974. Four decades later, Linda and Torsten Heinemann wrote a review of that article in the journal SAGE Open, suggesting that in the time between, even though burnout was widely discussed, it was not considered an actual disorder.
“One reason for that, the Heinemanns argue, is that much of the research on burnout focused on ‘causes and associated factors,’ rather than on attempts to develop specific diagnostic criteria,” CNN reported. “That led to ‘vagueness and ambiguity’ around the concept of burnout.”
The outlet also reported that the difference between depression and burnout was difficult to determine.
USA Today reported on what the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has studied in relation to workplace stress. The CDC gave several suggestions for how to reduce such stress, including finding a balance between work and personal life, having a “support network of friends and coworkers,” and keeping a “relaxed and positive outlook.”
The Hill reported that the WHO will start working on the “development of evidence-based guidelines on mental well-being in the workplace.”