If you've ever left work feeling completely worn out and/or emotionally exhausted, you may be suffering from a condition shared by millions of Americans known as 'burnout.' Now, that feeling you get after coming home from work has been officially recognized as an occupational phenomenon by the World Health Organization (WHO).
The World Health Organization (WHO) added 'burnout' to the agency's handbook for doctors and health insurers known as the International Classification of Disease (ICD-11). The syndrome was added to a list of conditions found under "Problems associated with employment or unemployment."
The new classification is about far more than just feeling tired after work. According to the definition from the WHO, 'burnout' is a "syndrome conceptualized as resulting from chronic workplace stress that has not been successfully managed."
Doctors can issue a diagnosis of a patient being 'burned out' if they are found to have who has the following symptoms:
- Feelings of energy depletion or exhaustion
- Increased mental distance from one’s job, or feelings of negativism or cynicism related to one's job
- 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," WHO said.
Psychologist Herbert Freudenberger first defined burnout in the 1970s to describe patients who exhibited symptoms of "physical collapse caused by overwork or stress" according to the National Institute of Health. But, until now, there hasn't been a clear definition for what burnout is and how it could be diagnosed.
A recent Gallup survey found that nearly 1 in 4 employees feel burned out all the time with another 44 percent of respondents saying they feel burned out "sometimes."
If you're looking for ways to decrease the amount of work stress in your life, experts say people should seek out a support network of friends and coworkers who can help them when you're feeling frayed. Learning how to strike the right balance between friends, family and your work is also important.