Burnout Not a Medical Issue, but an Occupational Phenomenon: WHO

WHO declared burnout as a legitimate medical condition that can be caused from stress at work.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) has issued a clarification stating that “burnout” is not a medical condition, but an “occupational phenomenon” which could require someone to seek help and care.

The clarification comes after WHO declared burnout as a disease in its handbook for diagnosing diseases, International Classification of Diseases or the ICD-11 on 27 May.

As per a report in The Hindu, WHO defines burnout as “a syndrome conceptualised as resulting from chronic workplace stress that has not been successfully managed”. It clarified that burnout should be defined in the “occupational context” and “should not be applied to describe experiences in other areas of life”.

One might be suffering from burnout if one is experiencing any two of these symptoms: physical and emotional exhaustion; getting extremely irritable or angry for no reason; decreased efficacy in work; physical symptoms like headaches, digestive disorders, insomnia; addictions like smoking, drinking or drugs.

Stress & Burnout Are Not The Same

Experts differentiate between burnout and stress.

Stress is a normal phenomenon of daily life whereas burnout is a result of everyday stress. Burnout is a psychological state and you cannot detect it or cure it at home.

Psychologist Prachi Jain suggests things like taking some time out to relax, listening to music, getting adequate sleep, reaching out to more people to deal with burnout.

She says that these tips would help one to get back to their normal life really quick.