Burnout and Depression
On successful completion of this article, you will be able to:
- Identify two major types of depression.
- Describe the signs and symptoms of severe depression.
- List the techniques and drugs used for the management of depression.
- Define causes of burnout.
- Identify the symptoms of burnout.
- Cite management and preventative techniques for burnout.
- Causes of Burnout
 |
Burnout |
Definition of Burnout:
Burnout can be defined as a state of physical and emotional exhaustion in which one feels a negative self-concept and negative attitude toward his job.
Burnout is a symptom that suggests that a person’s job expectations are higher than reality.
Burnout is the attitude that “a job is a job is a job.”
Burnout is often seen among individuals
In the health care setting because these individuals are very idealistic.
They want to save the world from disease and death; not everyone can be saved.
Recognizing Symptoms of Burnout
As a first line medical care provider, it is your job to recognize the symptoms of burnout and depression, and provide or refer the patient for medical care so that suicide does not happen.
Depending on the type and the severity of the symptoms, you may need to refer a patient back from the front line for extended inpatient treatment.
This lesson will provide the information you need to make this kind of decision.
Burnout, depression, and suicide occur much more often than most people realize.
Unrelieved burnout can lead to depression, and prolonged depression will often lead to suicide or at least to the planning of suicide.
For example, in a combat situation, this deadly chain of psychiatric illness can cost the lives of many soldiers and seriously endanger the mission.
General Causes of Burnout:
General Causes of Burnout are as follows:
Some causes come from inside the person—internal causes.
A person may set unrealistically high goals.
He is totally committed to the job, a perfectionist who wants to tackle all the problems himself, and takes on all possible responsibilities.
Lack of rewards
Other examples of Burnout situations are as follows:
There are simply not enough hours in the day for he/she to do everything perfectly, he experiences burnout.
Other internal causes of burnout include personal problems:
domestic problems (trouble at home); stress in a personal relationship; etc.
Sometimes the chief causes of burnout come from outside the individual –external causes.
Included in this classification are:
Overwork
- Shortage of staff and supplies
- Unresponsive leadership
- Lack of group cohesiveness (or no esprit de corps)
- Lack of recognition for a job well done
- Short-fused suspense
- Lack of resources
- Lack of rewards
- Signs and Symptoms of Burnout
The following introduces the learner to the Signs/Symptoms of Burnout:
The person experiences physical and mental exhaustion.
The person gets tired very easily.
There is less production/enjoyment at work.
The person seems to work harder, but he is producing less and enjoying the work less.
The person is disenchanted with work and life.
The individual may be a chronic complainer.
The following are signs of burnout in the individual:
Unexplained depressions
Irritable and short-tempered
Impotent or lack of sexual desire
Less contact with co-workers
More physical
Inability to relax and enjoy free time
Withdrawn and quiet with little to say
Absentminded
Increased drug or alcohol consumption
A teetotaler may begin to drink.
Social Interactions and Disposition
Decreased social interaction with family and friends.
He withdraws, is preoccupied and moody when with family and friends, is unable to share or talk about his frustrations with these people.
The burnout sufferer will state that no one wants to listen to his problems.
On the other hand, when someone asks him directly about what is troubling him, he will respond either that he doesn’t want to talk about work or that the person who asked wouldn’t understand.
Techniques to Prevent Burnout:
Here are some techniques which you can use to prevent burnout for yourself or which you can recommend to someone else:
- Monitor yourself.
- Be alert to changes in your body or normal habits.
- Communicate. If you find yourself withdrawing, force yourself to be out- going with other people.
- Do not retreat within yourself and build a prison of loneliness.
- Listen to your “inner self”. Understand yourself.
- Discussion and Support
Other techniques are as follows:
- Obtain feedback from coworkers or contemporaries.
- Your strongest support may be among your coworkers.
- When work becomes a topic for social discussion, learn to discuss it until everyone has had a say.
- Decide what can be done and then change the subject.
Management Approach
If you are a manager and are trying to prevent burnout in your unit, try to develop a sense of togetherness in the unit. Actively develop and foster an “esprit de corps” in your unit.
Studies have shown that individuals with a highly developed sense of togetherness and spirit suffer from burnout less often than those without this characteristic.
As an Individual:
• Do not try to be perfect.
• You are only human.
• Stop expecting too much of yourself.
• Set realistic goals.
• It is stimulating to set high goals.
• If, however, these goals cannot be reached and this fact bothers you, set goals that can be met.
• Focus on one thing at a time.
• Do not try to do everything at once.
• Do not try to be everything to everyone.
1. Relaxation Techniques in Working Life:
2. Develop Outside Interests and Hobbies
Relaxation Techniques in Working Life
 |
Relaxation Techniques in Working Life |
• Learn to relax. Leave work at work.
• Do not take unnecessary paperwork home every night and on weekends.
• Plan to take vacations away from your working area.
• Go to the mountains or the coast for a few days every couple of months.
• Take a break at specific intervals to “recharge your batteries.”
• You can also learn and practice relaxation techniques.
• This does not mean getting extra sleep.
Develop Outside Interests and Hobbies
• Yoga is one relaxation technique, but other approaches are available, simple, and beneficial.
• Develop outside interests. Be sure there is something else in your life in addition to work.
• Active sports such as baseball, volleyball, skiing, bowling, swimming, etc., are good relaxers for some people.
• Other individuals find enjoyment in music, reading, writing, painting, etc.
• Whether you have a passion for stamp collecting or scuba diving, an interest not connected with work will give you something else to think about as well as something else to talk about.
Depression:
Definition of Depression:
Depression can be defined as a mental state characterized by feelings of sadness, despair, unhappiness, worthlessness, and hopelessness.
 |
Depression |
Depression Characteristics
Everyone has mood changes:
sometimes feeling great and at other times feeling a little down.
Usually, we can swing up out of our depressed states by ourselves.
When a person’s depression becomes such that the individual cannot function or is a danger to society, that depression has moved out of the normal range. The individual must have professional help.
Types of Depression:
Depression may be classified as either Exogenous or Endogenous.
Exogenous
Exogenous Depression is often referred to as situational depression because it comes from something outside the person.
Possible causes include the loss of a loved one (death or departure of a parent or child); loss of self-esteem due to business failure, rejection, or divorce; or inability to express or admit anger toward others (“holding it in”).
Endogenous
Endogenous Depression just comes out of the blue and is not caused by any situation or event.
It may be caused by a chemical imbalance in the brain.
Much research in this area indicates that this type of depression may be due to some mental illness or even a dietary deficiency.
Endogenous Depression, the type that comes out of the blue, is more severe than Exogenous depression. The patient may need to have psychiatric help immediately.
General Symptoms of Severe Depression:
There are a number of signs and symptoms of General severe depression. Signs and Symptoms of Severe Depression: Symptom Clusters.
An individual suffering from severe depression will usually have more than just one sign or symptom. He may have several signs/symptoms—a cluster of signs/symptoms.
Included examples are as follows:
Trouble with concentration and memory.
Feelings of guilt about inconsequential events.
Insomnia or excessive sleepiness.
Feelings of hopelessness and worthlessness.
Withdrawal from activities and interests.
Decreased interactions with family and friends.
Decreased work productivity.
Decreased relationship with coworkers.
Changes in bowel habits.
Weight loss or gain.
Decreased libido (sexual drive).
Slowed speech and/or motor activity.
Cluster Depression Symptoms:
An individual suffering from severe depression will usually have more than just one sign or symptom. He may have several signs/symptoms—a cluster of signs/symptoms.
Endogenous Depression Cluster Symptoms
A typical symptom cluster for endogenous depression includes:
• Retardation of thought and motion (thinks in “slow motion”).
• Substantial weight loss due to very poor appetite.
• Feeling that depression “crept upon him” and “came out of the blue.”
• Wakes very early in the morning and can’t get back to sleep.
• Feels worse in the morning and improves as the day goes on.
• Does not react to the environment.
Exogenous Depression Cluster Symptoms
A typical symptom cluster for exogenous depression includes:
• Precipitating event.
• Trouble getting to sleep at night.
• Feeling fine in the morning and getting worse as the day goes on.
• Weight loss of less than 10 pounds.
• Reaction to the environment—if the person is with an “up” crowd, he will seem to come out of his depression for a while.
Evaluation:
The evaluation of the symptom clusters requires you to inquire about specific symptoms such as weight loss and the amount of loss over a given period, sleeping patterns, and feeling of hopelessness.
Arrange the symptoms into appropriate clusters if indicated.
Patients may have components of more than one type of depression or other complicating mental illness.
Management of Depression:
Types of medications used with severely disturbed depressive patients include Antidepressant, Tranquilizing, and Anti-anxiety drugs.
Usually, drug treatment is combined with other forms of therapy such as individual or group psychotherapy. Medications given to treat depression are classified in three groups:
1.Anti-anxiety Agents
2.Antidepressant Agents
3.Anti-psychotic Agents
1.Anti-Anxiety Medication
Anti-Anxiety Medication includes the following Agents:
Hydroxyzine (Atarax®, Vistaril®).
Meprobamate (Equanil®, Miltown®).
Chlordiazepoxide (Librium®).
Diazepam (Valium®).
Central nervous system (Central Nervous System) depressants producing mild sedation are included in anti-anxiety medication.
• Antidepressant Agents
• Anti-Psychotic Agents
2.Antidepressant Agents
Antidepressant Agents commonly used include the following:
Imipramine (Tofranil®).
Amitriptyline (Elavil®).
Amitriptyline and Perphenazine (Triavil®).
Doxepin (Adapin®, Sinequan®). Central Nervous System depressants producing mild sedation are also included as antidepressants.
Improvement of depression may take one to four weeks.
3.Anti-Psychotic Agents
Anti-Psychotic Agents that are commonly used are as follows:
Thioridazine (Mellaril®).
Haloperidol (Haldol®).
Lithium (Lithane®, Lithonate®). Central Nervous System depressants used as antipsychotic agents are sedative or hypnotic and do not depress the vital centers.
Generally, Central Nervous System depressants are NOT used to treat depression.
Amphetamines (Benzedrine®) and Methylphenidates (Ritalin®) fall in this category.
The key points from this article are:
- Burnout can be defined as a state of physical and emotional exhaustion in which one feels a negative self-concept and negative attitude toward his job.
- Burnout is a symptom that suggests that a person’s job expectations are higher than reality.
- Burnout is often seen among individuals in the health care setting because these individuals are very idealistic.
- They want to save the world from disease and death; not everyone can be saved.
- Depending on the type and the severity of the symptoms, you may need to refer a patient back from the front line for extended inpatient treatment.
- Burnout, depression, and suicide occur much more often than most people realize.
- Unrelieved burnout can lead to depression, and prolonged depression will often lead to suicide or at least to the planning of suicide.
- The following are Signs/Symptoms of Burnout:
• The person experiences physical and mental exhaustion.
• The person gets tired very easily.
• There is less production/enjoyment at work.
• The person seems to work harder, but he is producing less and enjoying the work less.
• The person is disenchanted with work and life.
• The individual may be a chronic complainer.
• The burnout sufferer withdraws, is preoccupied and moody when with family and friends, is unable to share or talk about his frustrations with these people. The burnout sufferer will state that no one wants to listen to his problems.
• On the other hand, when someone asks him directly about what is troubling him, he will respond either that he doesn’t want to talk about work or that the person who asked wouldn’t understand.
• Depression can be defined as a mental state characterized by feelings of sadness, despair, unhappiness, worthlessness, and hopelessness.
• Everyone has mood changes: sometimes feeling great and at other times feeling a little down.
• Usually, we can swing up out of our depressed states by ourselves.
• When a person’s depression becomes such that the individual cannot function or is a danger to society, that depression has moved out of the normal range.
• The Individual must have professional help.
• Depression may be classified as either Exogenous or Endogenous.
• Exogenous Depression: is often referred to as situational depression because it comes from something outside the person. Possible causes include the loss of a loved one (death or departure of a parent or child); loss of self-esteem due to business failure, rejection, or divorce; or inability to express or admit anger toward others (“holding it in”).
• Endogenous Depression: just comes out of the blue and is not caused by any situation or event.
• It may be caused by a chemical imbalance in the brain. Much research in this area indicates that this type of depression may be due to some mental illness or even a dietary deficiency.
• An Individual suffering from severe depression will usually have more than just one sign or symptom. He may have several signs/symptoms—a cluster of signs/symptoms.
• The evaluation of the symptom clusters requires you to inquire about specific symptoms such as weight loss and the amount of loss over a given period, sleeping patterns, and feeling of hopelessness.
• Arrange the symptoms into appropriate clusters if indicated.
• Patients may have components of more than one type of depression or other complicating mental illness.
• Types of medications used with severely disturbed depressive patients include Antidepressant, Tranquilizing, and Anti-anxiety drugs. Usually, drug treatment is combined with other forms of therapy such as individual or group psychotherapy.
• Medications given to treat depression are classified in three groups:
• Anti-anxiety Agents
• Antidepressant Agents
• Anti-psychotic Agents
.jpg)
No comments:
Post a Comment
If you need more articles related to psychology or sociology please comment us.