Burnout syndrome(burnout syndrome) is a state of emotional, mental exhaustion, physical fatigue that occurs as a result chronic stress At work. The development of this syndrome is typical primarily for professions of the “person-person” system, where helping people dominates (doctors, nurses, teachers, social workers). Burnout syndrome is considered as a result of unfavorable resolution of stress in the workplace and corresponds to the third stage of the general adaptation syndrome (G. Selye) - stages of exhaustion.
CLINICAL PICTURE
The main symptoms of burnout syndrome are emotional and mental exhaustion, personal detachment, and a feeling of loss of effectiveness.
Emotional and mental exhaustion - a feeling of overstrain and exhaustion of emotional and physical resources, a feeling of fatigue that does not go away after a night's sleep. The following complaints are common: “I feel like a squeezed lemon”, “Work sucks all the strength out of me”, “I feel like I’m burning out at work.” After a period of rest (weekends, vacation), these manifestations decrease, but upon returning to the previous work situation they resume. A person feels extremely tired from being overly busy with work and puts enormous effort into its thorough execution. Exhaustion is a major component of burnout syndrome.
Signs of mental dysfunction are observed: loss of clarity of thinking, difficulty concentrating (“small” but important things are constantly forgotten or lost), deterioration of short-term memory, constant tardiness despite great efforts to be on time, an increase in the number of errors and slips, an increase in misunderstandings at work and at home, accidents and situations close to them.
Personal disengagement is the interpersonal aspect of burnout and can be characterized as a negative, callous, or overly distant response to various aspects of work. People stop sympathizing and empathizing with those with whom they work (students, patients, etc.), they become formal and indifferent in their contacts. With emotional burnout syndrome, equal treatment of all subjects of activity is violated, the principle “whether I want it or not, I deem it necessary, if I’m in the mood, I’ll pay attention to this partner” applies. A person with burnout syndrome has a need for self-justification: “This is not the case to worry about,” “Such people do not deserve good treatment,” “Such people cannot be sympathized,” “Why should I worry about everyone?”
Feelings of loss of effectiveness (achievement), or feelings of incompetence can be considered as reduced self-esteem as part of burnout syndrome. People do not see prospects for their professional activities, job satisfaction decreases, and faith in their professional capabilities is lost. There is a downplaying of one's own needs and desires, coupled with a feeling of lack of competence.
Stages of development of burnout syndrome
The development of burnout syndrome is gradual. First, significant energy costs are observed (often as a consequence of an extremely positive attitude toward performing professional activities). As the syndrome develops, a feeling of fatigue appears, which is gradually replaced by disappointment and decreased interest in one’s work.
Burnout syndrome develops according to certain phases (Burish, 1994):
1. Warning phase:
a) excessive participation (excessive activity, a feeling of indispensability, refusal of needs not related to work, crowding out failures and disappointments, limiting social contacts);
b) exhaustion (feeling tired, insomnia, risk of accidents).
2. Reducing the level of own participation:
a) in relation to employees, students, patients, etc. (loss of positive perception of colleagues, transition from help to supervision and control, attributing blame for one’s own failures to other people, manifestations of an inhumane approach to people);
b) in relation to others around (lack of empathy, indifference, cynical assessments);
c) in relation to professional activities (unwillingness to fulfill one’s duties, artificially prolonging breaks at work, being late, leaving work early, focusing on the material aspect while simultaneously being dissatisfied with work);
d) increasing demands (loss of life ideal, concentration on one’s own needs, feeling that other people are using you, envy).
3. Emotional reactions:
a) depressive mood (constant feelings of guilt, decreased self-esteem, lability of mood, apathy);
b) aggression (defensive attitudes, blaming others, ignoring one’s participation in failures, lack of tolerance and the ability to compromise, suspicion, conflicts with others).
4. Destructive behavior phase:
a) the sphere of intelligence (decreased concentration, lack of ability to perform complex tasks, rigidity of thinking, lack of imagination);
b) motivational sphere (lack of own initiative, decreased efficiency, performing tasks strictly according to instructions);
c) emotional and social sphere (indifference, avoidance of informal contacts, lack of participation in the lives of other people or excessive attachment to a specific person, avoidance of work-related topics, loneliness, abandonment of hobbies).
5. Psychosomatic reactions: decreased immunity, inability to relax in free time, insomnia, sexual disorders, increased blood pressure, tachycardia, headaches, digestive disorders, addiction to nicotine, caffeine, alcohol, drugs.
6. Disappointment: negative life attitude, feeling of helplessness and meaninglessness of life, existential despair, hopelessness.
Consequences of burnout syndrome
The negative impact of “burnout” on physical health has been proven. Increased risk of developing coronary disease hearts.
The social consequences of burnout syndrome are as follows: the quality of work performance deteriorates, a creative approach to problem solving is lost, the number of conflicts at work and at home increases, frequent absenteeism, a transition to another job, and a change of profession are observed. The number of professional errors is growing. It should be noted that people experiencing burnout have a negative impact on their colleagues, as they contribute to more interpersonal conflicts and also disrupt work assignments. Thus, burnout can be contagious and spread through informal interactions at work.
Burnout syndrome also has a negative impact on people's personal lives. This may occur because after an emotionally intense day spent with clients or patients, a person feels the need to get away from everyone for a while, and this desire for solitude is usually fulfilled at the expense of family and friends.
Burnout syndrome can be complicated by depressive, anxiety disorders, addictions psychoactive substances, psychosomatic diseases, suicide.
PREVENTION AND TREATMENT OF EMOTIONAL BURNOUT SYNDROME
Preventive and curative measures with emotional burnout syndrome are in many ways similar: what protects against the development of this syndrome can also be used in the treatment of already developed emotional burnout. In the treatment and prevention of burnout syndrome, various approaches can be used: person-oriented techniques aimed at improving an individual’s ability to withstand stress through changing their behavior and attitudes; measures aimed at changing the work environment (preventing unfavorable circumstances).
First of all, it is necessary to ensure that the patient is aware of the problem and takes adequate responsibility for his work, his professional results, for his decisions, actions, and changes in behavior. The patient's active participation in the therapy process and cooperation with the doctor is necessary.
Patients must be provided full information about emotional burnout syndrome: main clinical manifestations, patterns of progression, predisposing factors; about the stress process and its stages in accordance with the teachings of G. Selye about the general adaptation syndrome (1 - anxiety reactions, 2 - stage of resistance, 3 - stage of exhaustion); O physical symptoms observed in this case, and about stress management measures.
On initial stages syndrome, it is necessary to ensure good, complete rest with complete isolation from work. The help of a psychotherapist or psychologist is needed.
1. Regular rest, work-leisure balance. Burnout increases whenever the boundaries between work and home begin to blur and work takes up a larger part of your life. It is necessary to have free evenings and weekends (do not take work home).
2. Regular physical exercise (at least 3 times a week for 30 minutes). The patient must be explained the need for physical exercise as a way to release energy accumulated as a result of stress. It is necessary to look for activities that the patient will enjoy (walking, running, dancing, cycling, working in the garden, at the dacha, etc.), otherwise they will be perceived as routine and avoided.
3. Adequate sleep most important factor, reducing stress. It is necessary to find out from patients how much they usually sleep and how much they need to wake up rested (from 5 to 10 hours, on average 7–8 hours). If you experience insufficient sleep duration, you can recommend going to bed 30–60 minutes earlier and monitor the result after a few days. Sleep is considered good when people wake up rested, feel energized during the day, and wake up easily in the morning when the alarm clock rings.
4. It is necessary to create and maintain a “healthy work environment”, when planning the priority, the urgency of doing things, managing your time, etc. Organizing your work: frequent short breaks in work (for example, 5 minutes every hour), which are more effective, than rare and long-lasting ones. It is better to prepare a light breakfast for work than to starve all day and overeat in the evenings. A little exercise is good for computer users. Taking a few deep breaths and exhaling slowly can counteract an immediate stress response or panic attack. It is advisable to reduce caffeine consumption (coffee, tea, chocolate, cola), since caffeine is a stimulant that contributes to the development of a stress response. After about three weeks of gradually cutting back on caffeine, most patients notice a decrease in anxiety, heartburn, and muscle pain.
5. Explaining the need to delegate responsibility (share responsibility for the results of activities with clients, students, patients). Developing the ability to say “no.” Those people who adhere to the position “for something to be done well, you have to do it yourself” directly lead to burnout.
6. Having a hobby (sports, culture, nature). The patient needs to be explained the need to have interests outside of work to relieve stress that arises at work. It is desirable that the hobby provides an opportunity to relax and unwind (for example, painting, not auto racing).
7. Active professional position, taking responsibility for your work, your professional results, for your decisions, actions, changes in behavior. Actions to change a stressful situation.
When working with patients in individual or group therapy, you can adhere to the following directions:
Communication skills training. Training in effective interpersonal communication skills. Identification and expansion of interpersonal connections that are significant for the patient (family, friends, colleagues).
A positive outlook on things. The patient should be helped to recognize that there are many possible interpretations certain situation. The answer to the question “Is the glass half empty or half full?” depends on the way you look at things: for optimists the glass is full, albeit half, for pessimists it is empty. Together with the patient, you can review the stressful situation and find positive aspects. This will not change the situation, but it will allow you to look at things differently (rational-emotive therapy).
Frustration prevention (reducing false expectations). If expectations are realistic, the situation is more predictable and better manageable. Conscious choice of a profession, knowledge of the difficulties associated with it, and a real assessment of one’s own capabilities can help avoid “burnout” or significantly stop its development.
Self confidence training. People susceptible to burnout syndrome often have low self-esteem, are timid, anxious, and lack self-confidence. You can use the “magic store” technique. The patient is asked to imagine that he is in a magic store, where he can acquire any personal trait he is missing: try it on himself, take it for himself.
Training in relaxation techniques. The following techniques can be used:
– progressive muscle relaxation(Jacobson method). The exercises are easy to learn in groups or independently. The main goal of the method is to achieve voluntary relaxation of the striated muscles at rest. Sessions take up to 30 minutes;
– transcendental meditation. Meditation is understood as an artificially created situation in which a person is specifically engaged in self-improvement of his thought processes or some mental characteristics, reflecting on the artificial circumstances he himself created;
– autogenic training (Schultz method) - self-hypnosis in a state of relaxation or hypnotic trance;
– voluntary self-hypnosis (Couet’s method) allows you to suppress painful ideas that are harmful in their consequences and replace them with useful and beneficial ones. Can be used to reduce stress before important meetings.
Conducting a debriefing (discussion) after a critical event. Discussion involves the opportunity to express your thoughts, feelings, associations caused by any serious incident. This method is widely used abroad in law enforcement agencies. Through discussion after traumatic events (pursuit, shooting, death), professionals get rid of lingering feelings of guilt, inappropriate and ineffective reactions and can continue to work (for example, on duty).
Religiosity is also considered by a number of researchers as a preventive factor that prevents the development of burnout syndrome. Religiosity is associated with longevity and is negatively associated with drug addiction, alcoholism, suicidal thoughts, levels of depression, and divorce.
Carrying out special programs among risk groups (for example, Balint groups for teachers, doctors). Balint groups were first organized in London in the mid-50s. 20th century Michael Balint as training seminars for doctors general practice. Unlike a traditional clinical analysis or consultation, the emphasis in the work of the Balint group is not on clinical analysis management of a given patient, but on various features of the relationship between the doctor and the patient, on the reactions, difficulties, failures that doctors themselves bring up for discussion (a group of teachers may be similar, nurses and etc.).
Recently, more and more often in the media you can find references to burnout syndrome. This is nothing more than emotional exhaustion resulting from prolonged exposure to professional stress on a person. The syndrome is registered among people in communicative professions: teachers, social workers, psychologists, doctors, sales agents, customer service managers.
Causes
Every person is susceptible to emotional burnout.
For development emotional overstrain influenced by both the objective external circumstances of the work environment and the personal characteristics of a person.
Factors related to personal characteristics person should include:
- Professional experience;
- Workaholism;
- Result-oriented;
- The desire to control everything;
- Idealized expectations from work and life in general;
- Character traits (anxiety, rigidity, neuroticism, emotional lability).
External factors include:
- Excessive amount of work;
- Monotonous work activity;
- Responsibility for the results of the work performed;
- Irregular schedule;
- Interpersonal conflicts;
- Lack of proper moral and material remuneration for performing work;
- The need to work with a heavy contingent of clients (patients, students);
- Emotional involvement in the problems of clients (patients, students);
- Unsatisfactory position in the team and society;
- Lack of time to rest;
- High competition;
- Constant criticism, etc.
Stress, including professional stress, develops in three stages:
Symptoms
There are three fundamental components in the structure of CMEA: emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, and reduction of professional achievements.
Emotional exhaustion expressed by a feeling of fatigue, devastation. Emotions become faded, a person feels that he is not able to feel the same range of feelings as before. In general, in the professional sphere (and then in the personal sphere) prevail negative emotions: irritability, depression.
Depersonalization characterized by the perception of people not as individuals, but as objects, communication with which occurs without emotional involvement. The attitude towards clients (patients, students) becomes soulless and cynical. Contacts become formal and impersonal.
professional achievements is characterized by the fact that a person begins to doubt his professionalism. Achievements and successes at work seem insignificant, and career prospects seem unrealistic. Indifference to work appears.
Burnout syndrome invariably affects not only a person’s professionalism, but also mental and physical health.
Thus, it is customary to distinguish several groups of symptoms characteristic of SEV:
- Physical symptoms- fatigue, dizziness, sweating, muscle tremors, sleep disturbances, dyspeptic disorders, blood pressure fluctuations, weight changes, shortness of breath, weather sensitivity.
- Emotional symptoms- pessimism, cynicism, feelings of helplessness and hopelessness, anxiety, depressed mood, irritability, feelings of loneliness, guilt.
- Changes in the intellectual sphere- loss of interest in receiving new information, loss of interest in life, lack of desire to diversify your leisure time.
- Behavioral symptoms- long-term work week, fatigue when performing work duties, the need to take frequent breaks from work, indifference to food, addiction to alcohol, nicotine, impulsive actions.
- Social symptoms- lack of desire to take part in public life, poor communication with colleagues and family, isolation, a feeling of misunderstanding by other people, a feeling of lack of moral support.
Why is so much attention paid to this syndrome? The thing is that CMEA entails serious consequences, such as:
In general, CMEA can be perceived as a kind of mechanism psychological protection. Complete or partial shutdown of emotions in response to a stressor allows you to economically use available energy resources.
Diagnostics
To identify emotional burnout syndrome and its severity, various questionnaires are used.
The main methods used to study SEV:
- Diagnosis of emotional burnout Boyko V.V. (“Diagnostics of the level of emotional burnout”);
- Methodology A.A. Rukavishnikova “Definition of mental burnout”;
- Methodology “Assessing your own burnout potential”;
- Methodology by K. Maslach and S. Jackson “Professional (emotional) burnout (MBI).”
Treatment
There is no universal panacea for burnout syndrome. But the problem should not be underestimated; it can lead to a deterioration in health and quality of life in general.
If you notice signs of SEV, try to implement the following recommendations:
If emotional burnout syndrome is severe, you should consult a psychotherapist. The doctor may use the following approaches:
- Psychotherapy(cognitive-behavioral, client-centered, training in relaxation techniques, conducting training in communication skills, improving emotional intelligence, self-confidence);
- Drug therapy(prescription of antidepressants, anxiolytics, hypnotics, beta-blockers, nootropics).
It is important to provide the person with an opportunity to discuss emotions after a critical event. This can be done both in individual meetings with a psychologist and in joint meetings with colleagues.
Discussing an event allows a person to express his emotions, experiences, and aggression. In addition, this approach will help a person realize his stereotypes of actions, see their ineffectiveness, and develop adequate ways to respond to all kinds of stressful situations, learn to resolve conflicts and build productive relationships with colleagues.
Emotional burnout syndrome (EBS) – pathological process, which is characterized by emotional, mental and physical exhaustion of the body, mainly arising in the labor sphere, but also problems personal nature are not excluded.
This pathological process is characteristic of people whose work involves constant interaction with other people (doctors, teachers, workers social sphere, managers). At the European Conference of the WHO (World Health Organization), they came to the conclusion that work is a huge problem for a third of the EU countries, and the cost of solving mental health problems is 3-4% of the country’s gross national income.
The phenomenal phenomenon was first described in 1974 by American psychiatrist H. Freudenberger. The doctor described phenomena that were incomprehensible to him in himself and his colleagues, since they were constantly in close contact with patients. The syndrome was later characterized by Christina Maslach. She described the concept as a syndrome of emotional and physical exhaustion in parallel with the formation of negative self-esteem and a negative attitude towards work.
Etiology
Often, SEV is associated with difficulties in the field of work, however, the syndrome can also be observed in young mothers and housewives, and it manifests itself as a loss of interest in one’s responsibilities. Based on statistics, the syndrome is observed in people who deal with the human factor every day.
The causes of CMEA are divided into two groups:
- objective reasons;
- subjective reasons.
Subjective reasons include:
- individual characteristics of a person;
- age characteristics;
- system of life values;
- individual attitude towards performing any type of activity;
- inflated level of expectations from work;
- high threshold of moral principles;
- problem of failure when necessary.
TO objective reasons relate:
- increased work loads;
- incomplete understanding of one's responsibilities;
- inadequate social and/or psychological support.
Objective reasons are directly related to a person’s job responsibilities.
People who abuse alcohol or energy drinks or are addicted to nicotine are at risk. In this way, they try to maximize productivity in case of troubles at work. However, bad habits can only make the situation worse.
Also subject to emotional burnout creative personalities: stylists, writers, artists, painters. The reasons for their stress lie in the fact that they cannot believe in their own strength. This is especially expressed when their talent remains unappreciated by the public or is followed by negative reviews from critics.
However, any person can acquire this type of syndrome. This can be triggered by a lack of understanding and lack of support from loved ones, as a result of which a person overloads himself with work.
In the forefront there is a syndrome of emotional burnout among doctors and teachers. Limitation to conducting lessons, as well as responsibility to senior management, is a provocation of mental disorder. , restless sleep, weight changes, drowsiness throughout the day - all this contributes to the syndrome of emotional burnout among teachers and doctors. It is also possible to show indifference to students, accompanied by aggression, insensitivity and a lack of desire to understand the problems of adolescents. Irritability initially manifests itself in a hidden form, then it reaches unpleasant, conflict situations. Some people withdraw into themselves and stop contacting friends and relatives.
When this type of syndrome develops in teachers, external and internal factors are important.
External factors include:
- responsibility for educational process;
- responsibility for the effectiveness of the work done;
- lack of necessary equipment.
Internal factors include disorientation of the individual and emotional return.
The psychology of the disease among teachers is also noted increased level aggression, a hostile attitude towards others, as a result - a change in behavior in negative side, suspicion and distrust of loved ones and work colleagues, resentment towards the whole world.
Burnout syndrome among medical workers is characterized by stress, night shifts, irregular schedules, and the need for constant professional development.
Burnout syndrome in parents, particularly mothers, occurs due to the fact that they have to do a lot of work and become part of several social roles at the same time.
Classification
Based on the theory of J. Greenberg, the following stages of burnout syndrome are distinguished:
- the first stage is recurrent stress in the workplace, which can reduce a person’s physical energy while the employee is satisfied with the work activity provided;
- second stage – decreased interest in work, sleep disturbances, excessive fatigue;
- the third stage – work seven days a week, the presence of worries is noted, and the person becomes vulnerable to diseases;
- fourth stage – chronic processes progress in the body, which are associated with dissatisfaction with oneself as an individual, as well as in the workplace;
- fifth stage – physical and psycho-emotional difficulties contribute to the development of life-threatening diseases.
Long-term functional load in the absence of trusting interpersonal relationships is the main factor in the formation of a stressful state.
Symptoms
Signs of burnout syndrome can be divided into three groups:
- physiological signs;
- psycho-emotional signs;
- behavioral reactions.
Physiological signs include:
- rapid feeling of fatigue;
- feeling tired after rest;
- muscle weakness;
- repeated attacks of headache, dizziness;
- weakened immunity;
- the emergence of long-term viral and infectious diseases;
- painful sensations in the area of joints;
- profuse sweating;
- insomnia.
Psycho-emotional symptoms include:
- feeling of complete loneliness;
- denial of moral rules;
- constant blaming loved ones;
- lack of faith in yourself and your abilities;
- destruction of the ideal;
- depressed mood;
- nervousness;
- excessive temper;
- pessimism.
Behavioral reactions:
- the appearance of professional destruction;
- desire to be completely alone;
- avoidance of responsibility for actions committed;
- the emergence of bad habits due to the desire to hide from what is happening.
Clinical symptoms equate the disease to depressive disorder However, burnout syndrome has a more favorable prognosis for a person’s return to everyday life.
Diagnostics
In order to diagnose the syndrome correctly, the doctor must:
- study the patient's medical history;
- find out about the presence of chronic diseases;
- clarify the symptoms that the patient may complain about;
- find out the presence of bad habits.
The following laboratory tests are also prescribed:
- general blood analysis;
- rapid test for liver and kidney function;
- test to determine the level of electrolytes in the blood.
Doctors also adhere to the main diagnostic method developed by V. Boyko - testing, which includes 84 statements, and the patient must express his attitude to the phrases with “yes” or “no” answers.
In this way, you can identify the development phase of the syndrome:
- voltage phase;
- resistance phase;
- exhaustion phase.
The tension phase includes the following clinical signs:
- dissatisfaction with oneself as a person;
- alarming and;
- experiencing situations that traumatize mental health;
- cornered.
The resistance phase consists of the following diagnostic symptoms:
- inadequate emotional, selective response;
- emotional and moral disorientation;
- expanding the scope of saving emotions;
- reduction of job responsibilities.
The exhaustion phase is characterized by:
- lack of emotions;
- emotional detachment;
- depersonalization;
- psychosomatic and psychovegetative disorders.
Test results are calculated using a specially developed sophisticated system. Experts assessed the response to each statement with a certain number of points, and using a three-stage system for obtaining indicators, test results and the symptoms that are characteristic of the patient are displayed.
Differential diagnosis is carried out with mental disorders that are not dependent on the influence of external factors. It is often difficult for specialists to diagnose burnout syndrome and chronic fatigue syndrome. The difference between them is that the first affects in most cases the work aspect, and all aspects of the patient’s life.
Treatment
Treatment of the formed syndrome is carried out using:
- psychotherapy;
- pharmacological treatment;
- reorganization of the work environment;
- combinations of changes in the work environment with rehabilitation and retraining.
When working with patients, psychologists adhere to the following measures:
- conducting communication skills training – they teach the skills of effective interpersonal communication, help to understand the importance of the existence of loved ones in the patient’s life;
- training in a positive outlook on things - training in optimism, perceiving the situation from a more positive side than from a negative one;
- frustration prevention – learning to assess one’s capabilities and abilities realistically;
- self-confidence training – using the “magic store” technique (the patient imagines that he is in a magic store where he can acquire the missing character trait), psychologists work to increase the patient’s level of self-esteem;
- debriefing after a difficult event - the patient expresses his thoughts and feelings about any global incident (treatment with this method is actively used abroad);
- training in relaxation techniques.
Relaxation techniques include:
- muscle relaxation (Jacobson technique);
- transcendental meditation;
- autogenic training (Schultz technique);
- method of voluntary self-suggestion (Cue's method).
Drug treatment includes the use of certain medications:
- antidepressants;
- tranquilizers;
- β-blockers;
- sleeping pills;
- drugs with neurometabolic action.
Specialists also encounter situations where the syndrome develops rapidly, and the patient has an extremely negative attitude towards colleagues, towards work, towards others. In this case, the clinician’s task is to convince the person to change his job and environment, for example, to move to another city, as this will benefit the patient and there will immediately be a noticeable improvement in well-being.
Prevention
Prevention of this syndrome clinical picture conditionally divided into:
- physical prevention;
- emotional prevention.
Physical prevention of emotional burnout includes:
- compliance proper nutrition(the diet should include foods that contain vitamins, plant fiber and minerals);
- frequent walks, outdoor recreation;
- regular physical activity;
- compliance correct mode day;
- healthy sleep (at least eight hours).
Emotional prevention of burnout syndrome includes.
Emotional burnout belongs to that category of terms that everyone knows about, but they believe that this phenomenon is rarely encountered in practice. Although in reality this is far from the case. The syndrome of psychological (emotional) burnout is quite widespread, but the peculiarities of the national mentality do not allow people to show dissatisfaction professional activity.
What is psychological burnout syndrome?
To the concept psychological syndrome refers to a complex of signs that determines a person’s emotional experiences that do not go beyond psychological health, which are not psychopathological.
Psychological syndrome is the starting point for the emergence of psychopathological disorders and.
The term “burnout syndrome” was first defined in 1974 by G. Fredenberg, an American psychiatrist. He attributed this definition to the emotional exhaustion of people, leading to changes in social life and the sphere of communication.
In essence, burnout syndrome is similar to chronic fatigue. But in essence the syndrome is its continuation. From of this state no one is insured. Representatives of any profession, even housewives, are susceptible to the influence of a negative attitude towards their own work. This is especially evident in people with a deep sense of responsibility, who tend to take everything to heart and be active and creative.
The essence of this syndrome is that work that for a long time was desired and loved, ceased to please, and, on the contrary, began to cause irritation. A person develops an acute reluctance to go to work, he feels internal tension. Except psychological reaction vegetative manifestations appear: headache, problems of cardiovascular activity, exacerbation of chronic diseases.
The psychological state of burnout can have a detrimental effect on human health, family relationships, service interaction.
Representatives of any profession are prone to burnout, but especially often this syndrome characterizes the actions of doctors, teachers, psychologists, psychiatrists, rescuers, law enforcement officers, that is, those people who, due to their professional activities, must constantly communicate with people or may experience stress during the work process .
Psychological burnout syndrome is usually characteristic of altruists who tend to put public interests above their own.
Causes and factors of psychological burnout syndrome
Speaking about factors and causes, it is necessary to determine the main differences between these concepts. The reasons are discussed in the case when the fact of burnout has already taken place. Factors give us reasons for the possibility of preventing this condition. Naturally, factors can cause burnout. But, if you determine the presence of factors in time and eliminate their influence, you can protect a person from such a disorder.
The most common factors influencing the occurrence of the syndrome:
- Routine. If a person has to constantly carry out a number of identical tasks, causing negative emotions, then at a certain time there may be mental fatigue. However, rest solves this problem only for a short period of time. Even the thought of future work can cause negative reactions.
- Concerns about the life and health of other children. Moreover, the depth of the syndrome is directly dependent on the intensity at work. For this reason, burnout syndrome often occurs among rescuers and doctors.
- Strict operating mode. This factor has a negative impact on the attitude towards work in general, and on the components of this component in particular. A person can be stressed by getting up early, finishing the work day late, working on weekends, being far from home, or working long hours. Everyday overpowering yourself when solving routine issues can cause constant tension, developing into a psychological syndrome.
- Emotionally rich relationships with colleagues and superiors. A situation of constant conflicts can cause negative reactions in any person. This is especially true for people who are sensitive to any tension in relationships.
- An emotional and creative attitude towards one’s responsibilities, which cannot develop into a stream of creative deeds. A similar situation is typical for creative professions: actors, writers, composers, as well as teachers. The manifestation of creativity requires great mental (emotional) costs, which develop into a high-quality creative product of activity. Constantly “putting yourself out” to such an extent is impossible. And even with very strong efforts, it becomes difficult to “outdo” yourself and make a project better than the previous one. This can cause a number of negative psychological manifestations, the complex summation of which is defined as burnout syndrome.
Modern psychology identifies several syndromes that are actually primary for burnout syndrome:
- syndrome of prolonged psychological stress;
- chronic fatigue syndrome;
- performance loss syndrome.
The mechanism of occurrence of psychological burnout syndrome is simple and consists of several stages:
Stage 1- increased attention to your work. The first time after employment, a person tries to prove himself very actively and responsibly: the work is carried out carefully, deadlines are strictly observed.
At the same time, the new employee stays at the workplace without any problems, performs increased workloads, puts public interests at the forefront rather than personal ones, and shows creativity. Moreover, at first the employee receives praise for such efforts, but after a certain period of time this becomes a habit, and the employee does not receive satisfaction from his own activities. This causes nervous and physical exhaustion.
Stage 2– detachment. Having “squeezed himself out,” the employee begins to notice that his professional activity does not evoke personal positive or negative emotions in him. Work is performed automatically and is perceived as routine and obligatory. If this requires communication with other people, then delving into other people's problems becomes simply impossible. The employee becomes incapable of empathy or creativity, and the work is done merely formally.
Stage 3- loss of efficiency. Routine, as a rule, does not evoke professional desires and emotional reactions, which does not lead to satisfaction with professional activities. This stage negatively affects professional skills and experience.
A passive, uninitiated worker is not of interest to management. As a rule, first a person begins to compare with himself with conclusions about his own worthlessness and degradation as a professional. Needless to say, such conclusions aggravate the situation of professional attitude towards oneself and lead to dismissal.
Manifestations of psychological burnout syndrome
Burnout syndrome manifests itself in all sectors of human activity:
- Physical symptoms: fast fatiguability, insomnia, shortness of breath, nausea, high blood pressure, disorders of the cardiovascular system.
- Emotional symptoms: callousness, aggressiveness, anxiety, hysterics, hopelessness, depression.
- Behavioral symptoms: loss of appetite, lack of interest in food, inability to concentrate, irritability, alcoholism and smoking.
- Social symptoms: lack of interest in life, abandonment of hobbies, dissatisfaction with life, anxiety, complaints of misunderstanding.
- Intellectual symptoms: loss of desire professional growth, formal fulfillment of their professional duties, lack of interest in innovations in work.
Prevention of psychological burnout syndrome
Treatment of psychological burnout syndrome is a complex and lengthy process. Its effectiveness depends equally on the desire of the patient and the professionalism of the psychiatrist or psychologist.
Burnout syndrome is a state of human exhaustion at various levels: mental, psycho-emotional, physical. Burnout syndrome can develop as a result of chronic stress, which occurs mainly in the work sphere.
A person wakes up exhausted in the morning and forces himself to go to work. During the working day, his efficiency and productivity decreases. Moreover, when the working day has been loaded to the limit and it seems that you won’t have time to do anything. As a result, you feel some kind of hopelessness, resentment and reluctance to work appear, and you lose interest in everything around you. Claims are made about the workload and insufficient remuneration for the work performed.
Burnout syndrome affects people who have functional responsibilities for serving people and frequent contact with them. These are professions such as teachers, doctors, kindergarten teachers, social workers, managers and others.
Causes
There are several causes of burnout. The main one is connected primarily with work activity, where a person is overloaded and does not feel sufficiently appreciated for his work, in the full sense of the word “burns out” at the workplace, forgetting about personal needs.
People are often susceptible to burnout syndrome medical workers: doctors and nurses. Constantly communicating with patients, the doctor takes on the complaints, irritation, and sometimes aggressiveness of the patients. Many health workers try to erect a psychological barrier between themselves and the visitor in order to abstract themselves from negative emotions, avoiding burnout syndrome.
Much depends on the character of a person, his attitude towards functional responsibilities, including its mandatory nature or lack thereof. Sometimes we ourselves impose an exorbitant range of responsibilities that are not provided for in the job description, distrust of the employees around us, and the desire to keep everything under our control. Untimely vacation or lack of days off also causes irreparable damage psycho-emotional state person.
Burnout syndrome and its causes are lack of sleep, lack of support from loved ones, inability to rest and relax. Often the cause of this condition can be trauma, both physical and psychological.
Symptoms
Symptoms of the disease do not appear immediately, but gradually. You should immediately pay attention to the warning signs corresponding to burnout syndrome. You need to reconsider your psycho-emotional behavior as early as possible and correct it in time so as not to bring yourself to a nervous breakdown.
The first symptoms of burnout syndrome may be frequent headaches, general fatigue, physical exhaustion, and insomnia. Attention and memory are impaired. There are problems with cardiovascular system(tachycardia, arterial hypertension). Lack of self-confidence, dissatisfaction with others, hysteria appear during periods of depression, indifference to family and friends, life is filled with sheer negativity.
Burnout syndrome makes the human body vulnerable to many diseases, especially chronic ones, such as bronchial asthma, psoriasis and others.
To cope with problems, supposedly ease your emotional condition, some begin to abuse alcoholic beverages, get used to drugs, and increase the number of cigarettes smoked per day.
Emotional symptoms are important. Sometimes it is a lack or excessive inhibition of emotions, withdrawal, pessimism, a feeling of abandonment and loneliness. Or, on the contrary, irritability and aggressiveness, hysterics, hysterical sobs, inability to concentrate. There is a feeling that the work is impossible and useless. An employee may not show up for work without justified reasons and, over time, may not be suitable for the position held.
There are also social symptoms of burnout syndrome. There is not enough time and desire to do interesting things after work. Limitation of contacts, feeling of misunderstanding by others, feeling of lack of attention from loved ones.
Stages of burnout syndrome
You should pay attention to J. Greenberg’s theory of emotional burnout, the development of which he divides into five stages:
The first is the employee's satisfaction with his work activity, but with repeated work stresses that reduce physical energy.
The second is that sleep disturbances, fatigue appear, and interest in work decreases.
The third is working without days off or vacation, worrying, exposure to illness.
The fourth is increased dissatisfaction with oneself and work, and the development of chronic diseases.
Fifth, psycho-emotional and physical problems provoke the development of diseases that can threaten a person’s life.
Teachers, like doctors, are at the forefront of the risk of emotional burnout. Therefore, it is very important to identify the symptoms of burnout syndrome in the first stages of development. Teachers, as a result of daily communication with students and their parents, experience a feeling of constant fatigue even in the morning, physical and emotional exhaustion caused by hard work. Labor activity, limited to the lesson, the teaching load due to the schedule, as well as responsibility to management, are provocateurs for the occurrence of nervous stress. Frequent headaches, insomnia, sharp increase or weight loss, disorders gastrointestinal tract, drowsiness throughout the day - this is a small list of inconveniences that accompany emotional burnout as a teacher.
The next component of emotional burnout syndrome is depersonalization, that is, an insensitive attitude towards students, sometimes bordering on aggressiveness, indifference, formality, and reluctance to understand the problems of children. As a result, first hidden irritation appears, then obvious, reaching conflict situations. Sometimes there is withdrawal into oneself, limiting contacts with friends and colleagues.
In the development of teacher burnout syndrome, both external and internal factors play an important role. External factors are high responsibility for the educational process and the effectiveness of the work done, lack of equipment, psychological atmosphere, especially if there are children in the class with difficult characters or delays mental development. Internal factors– emotional return, personal disorientation.
Teachers also experience increased aggressiveness and hostility towards loved ones and colleagues. There are examples of physical aggression towards a specific person. With indirect aggression (angry conversations, gossip), outbursts of rage, screaming, and beating on the table may occur, which are not directed specifically at anyone.
With a pronounced burnout syndrome, a negative behavior can be traced, mainly towards the management of the educational institution. Suspicion and distrust of others, anger and resentment towards the whole world.
Diagnostics
When determining the stage of development of burnout syndrome, the following factors are taken into account: the presence of symptoms of burnout, somatic complaints; existing chronic diseases, mental disorders, sleep disorders, use of tranquilizers and alcohol. Indicators of dissatisfaction with oneself, one’s responsibilities, and one’s position are also important. The state of emotional impasse is clearly expressed, as if the person was driven into a corner. His energy is directed more towards himself, showing a state of anxiety, disappointment in himself and his chosen profession. The person becomes touchy, rude, capricious. If you have to restrain yourself at work, then at home attacks of anger, rage, and inappropriate behavior spill out on family members.
Treatment of burnout syndrome
Problems that arise in the process of emotional burnout jeopardize a person’s health, his relationships with others, and his work. And this must be cured by restoring the balance of power, finding support from loved ones and, of course, paying attention to yourself and your psycho-emotional state.
First of all, “stop”, calm down and reconsider your life, your emotions, behavior. Maybe give up that routine work that does not bring satisfaction, joy, or productivity. Or change your place of residence so that new tasks distract the person from previous experiences.
If this is not possible, you need to actively solve pressing problems. Be active and persistent in the workplace, preferably avoiding stressful situations. Be bolder in expressing your needs. Refuse your superiors to do the work that is not in the job description, and which they entrust, knowing that the person will not be able to refuse, showing weakness.
If this does not help, you should definitely take a break from work. Go on vacation or take unpaid days. Take a complete break from work without answering phone calls from work colleagues.
Be sure to do physical exercise, at least for a short time, visit the pool, massage room, perform strengthening exercises, and put your thoughts in order.
Prevention
To avoid burnout syndrome, you need to follow some rules: go to bed on time, get enough sleep, set feasible tasks for yourself, maintain friendly relations with colleagues, listen only to positive discussions. Mandatory rest after a hard day, preferably in nature, having a favorite activity or hobby. Fresh air and good mood always have a positive effect on the emotional state of any person.
Auto-training, self-hypnosis, and a positive attitude are also of no small importance for the prevention of burnout. In the morning, you can turn on your favorite music, read something that lifts your spirits. Eat healthy and favorite foods that have increased energy.
You don’t need to follow anyone’s lead, but try to learn to say “no” to difficult situations, trying not to overexert yourself. You should also learn to take a break for yourself by turning off your phone, computer, or TV.
It is advisable to analyze the past day, finding as many positive moments in it as possible. 
