Psychosomatics of burnout
Burnout is when long stress leaves you with no strength: you are drained, your work brings irritation or indifference, and you feel you cope worse than before. The WHO describes it as the result of chronic workplace stress and does not treat it as a disease. If low mood, loss of interest in everything and poor sleep join the tiredness, see a doctor: depression looks the same. The Ladder method helps you see where you carry more than you can, and it does not replace a doctor.
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When to see a doctor
Start with a general practitioner: they will listen, check how you are and, if needed, order tests, for example for your thyroid and iron, to rule out other causes of tiredness. If depression or an anxiety disorder is suspected, they will refer you to a psychiatrist or psychotherapist.
In the Ladder method
In the Ladder method burnout is not explained as "you are weak" or "you cope badly". You are not to blame: burnout appears when the load is bigger than your strength for a long time and there is not enough rest and support. First have a doctor rule out depression and other causes and talk through your workload. Questions to yourself belong next to that, not instead of it.
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In the method burnout fits the image of a resource: how much you give and what comes back to you. It is an image, not the cause, and it does not replace a doctor.
On the ladder this shows up as the steps "I must be irreplaceable" and "I can rest when everything is done". You can work through them at your own pace.
These are questions for reflection, not an explanation of what causes the condition and not a treatment.
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How it shows up
Book a doctor’s appointment if you notice:
- No energy, and sleep does not bring it back
- Work brings irritation or indifference
- You feel you do everything worse than before
- Headaches and tension in your neck and shoulders
- Trouble concentrating and making decisions
- You want to shut yourself away from people
What medicine knows
In ICD-11 the WHO describes burnout as a syndrome that results from chronic workplace stress that has not been successfully managed. It is an "occupational phenomenon", not a disease, and the WHO applies the term to work.
The WHO names three signs of burnout: a feeling of energy depletion or exhaustion, growing mental distance from your job with negativity or cynicism about it, and reduced professional efficacy.
The NHS says stress can show up in your body and in your behaviour: headaches, muscle tension, sleep problems, feeling tired all the time, irritability, trouble concentrating. The NHS advises not to bottle stress up: talk to someone, make time to rest and move, and work out what is putting pressure on you.
Burnout is easy to confuse with depression: tiredness, poor sleep and loss of interest appear in both. Only a doctor can tell them apart. The NHS advises seeing a doctor if low mood lasts more than two weeks or gets in the way of work and life.
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Frequently asked questions
How is burnout different from ordinary tiredness?
Tiredness passes after rest. Burnout, as the WHO describes it, is exhaustion together with indifference or negativity about work and a feeling that you cope worse. A holiday helps only for a while if the load stays the same.
Is burnout a disease?
In ICD-11 the WHO calls burnout an occupational phenomenon, not a disease, and applies it to work. But exhaustion can also be a sign of depression, so if you are unsure, see a doctor.
What does burnout mean in psychosomatics?
There is no proven "meaning". In the Ladder method burnout becomes a reason to ask yourself where you give more than you get. It is a question to yourself, not a diagnosis, and it does not replace a doctor.
Related topics
Psychosomatics does not replace tests and treatment. Only a doctor can make a diagnosis.