Burnout syndrome: when work makes you sick

Abstract

In Portuguese, the expression burnout would be translated literally by “burning completely”. In psychiatry, burnout Syndrome refers to mental exhaustion usually derived from overwork and professional attributions, as suggested by the expression “professional exhaustion syndrome”, another name for the disease. Burnout syndrome, or simply burnout, is the consequence of prolonged exposure to levels of stress at work, which has emotional exhaustion, distancing from personal relationships and a decrease in the feeling of professional fulfillment as a symptom. The patient with burnout may also present comorbidity with some other mental illnesses, such as depression, and have individual, professional and organizational losses.