Burnout Vs. Depression - How To Tell the Difference

Burnout versus depression- how do you tell the difference? Burnout is usually thought of as something that happens professionally or caused by work stress. But the way it makes you feel can feel similar to depression. A common definition is that it has three components: exhaustion, cynicism, and inefficacy.

In this video I discuss how to tell the difference between depression and burnout, how burnout develops and some ways to avoid it or deal with it once you have it.

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Here are some videos reference in the video
Depersonalization video

Depression playlist

References
Maslach C, Schaufeli W, Leiter M. Job burnout. Ann Rev Psychol. 2001;52:397-422.

The Tired, Retired, and Recovered Physician: Professional Burnout Versus Major Depressive Disorder. Am J Psychiatry. 2018 Aug 1;175(8):716-719.

Bianchi R, Schonfeld IS, Laurent E: Is burnout separable from depression
in cluster analysis? A longitudinal study. Soc Psychiatry movement Psychiatr Epidemiol 2015; 50:1005–1011

Disclaimer: All of the information on this channel is for educational purposes and not intended to be specific/personal medical advice from me to you. Watching the videos or getting answers to comments/question, does not establish a doctor-patient relationship. If you have your own doctor, perhaps these videos can help prepare you for your discussion with your doctor.

[eiguajardo]

plot twist: severe burn out can take even years to recover, and you can also get burn out in a job you love, if you refuse to rest and balance your life.

[Namari]

"People who are burned out can become depressed. It can start as burnout and progress to depression." Oh, it's me. I'm in the completely wrong industry, an intense introvert stuck in a sales role. It's hell.

[canavezipaula]

Earlier this year, I started medical residency. As soon as I noticed the signs of burnout, I told the team that I would need to anticipate my vacation, even if it was only 1 week. The boss denied my request, and went on to say that in the old days, the work was much harder than it is today, and said that he didn't think first-year residents should even take vacations. After 4 months, burnout turned into depression and I gave up on the program, on my dream. Today, I look back and see that just 1 week away from work, just playing Candy Crush in my room, could have prevented months of anhedonia, suicidal thoughts, feelings of worthlessness... I hope that in the near future there will be a greater awareness of burnout.

[johnkovary]

I think this would be a very good discussion to have with college bound students.

[TheCrazyCatHouse]

The Sunday evening dread. Very reconiseable. Following by a night of hardly sleeping, and feeling depressed the next day.

[sfu]

I’ve been told that studies show that a vacation really doesn’t provide much relief as symptoms come back almost immediately after returning to normal life.

[candycane]

My burnout has led to depression. I hate my job and can’t wait to leave. I’m overworked and underpaid.

[hmadsen]

I'm almost crying from watching this video. As a self-funded PhD researcher, I've been incredibly driven and engaged in my work but in the last couple of months my supervisor has turned against me, discarded all my work and made me feel completely worthless. Most of my thoughts now revolve around feeling lost, empty and dumb. And for the first time in my life, I've lost all interest in what I do.

[creativedutchess]

Instead of changing me to cope with the job. I changed the job. Best decision of my life, can recommend!

[ruamahaine]

I love this woman because she gives me what I didn't know I needed

[rymleilamellal]

I noticed that for some burnt out people, it doesn't really stop at one aspect of their lives. As I write this comment, I am reminded of a case I had recently, someone who had all the symptoms of burn out but she felt so ineffective and anxious that she became very irritable around her family and felt like she couldn't manage her personal life as well. As soon as she left her job for something less stressful, all of er symptoms just vanished.

[ryanjoshuarx]

Having a “mental health day” today from residency because I felt like I “wasn’t a person”. I woke up feeling a “boulder”. It’s hard to explain.

[vinestreetlady]

I'm a depressed person who has become burnt out, the cycle is vicious. This video is great to not feel so alone! Thanks Dr. Marks!

I'm burned out...I feel so sad right now as i type this. I never got the chance to travel ANYWHERE. Soon as i was about to book my first trip, covid happened now I'm stuck here. I work at the unemployment office so my workload quadrupled almost overnight. I'm blessed to have a job but I need a vacation. I wish I would've had the chance to travel before all this happened because I know things will never be the same...

[reetheree]

I’ve been a nurse for 12 years and this last year with Covid has completely burned me out!

[LordOfTheRings]

This is how I felt working in retail. I was constantly berated, cussed out, belittled as a person, then managers would break the rules to satisfy the customer and make me look dumb like I don't know the policies. It was the worst job I've ever had.

[TNGURL]

I'm definitely burned out! I'm just over it. I need a break from eveverything. Its manifesting into anger and some hormonal depression.
Thx for this video Doc 👩‍⚕️

[WhoaThereMama]

This video was filmed before COVID, but COVID burnout is its own beast. It’s hard to tell if something is burnout or depression when there’s literally no escaping the global situation

[nur-e-diphamuttaqi]

WOW... Another great video.... I now realised, it wasn't depression. I had mood swings due to a severe burnout these last few months. Yayyyy... I overworked myself as a self-employed architect. HAHAHA... But two weeks ago, I have moved at a walking-distance to my office, saving 3-hours of horrific traffic and travel time everyday and I have more time to myself and for self-care.

[Sol]

This is why I was happy with the lockdown. Able to work from home, having a break from people was a huge weight off my mental health. For the first time in years, I could breathe.