40 percent of adult Austrians show signs of burnout syndrome. Women and men are affected about equally often. Women can cope with severe stress better than men, but often have double burdens.
I am Stadium 1 Burnout, without the intensity of a psychiatric illness, mainly leads to a decrease in performance and a tendency to alienate. “You feel alienated from your colleagues, from your work and ultimately from yourself.
Those who work particularly hard and are particularly meticulous are often affected. You take work home with you and your free time becomes increasingly scarce. Relationship problems often follow. In addition, there is increased irritability. What used to often only make us bad suddenly makes us very bad,” said the psychiatrist.
Phase 2: “Everyday doping” and severe irritability
In phase 2, burnout is accompanied by physically objectively observable changes. These are mainly elevated blood pressure and tension states, including severe irritability due to continued overactivation of the sympathetic nervous system. “In this phase, people often try to get by with ‘everyday doping’. These are obviously ‘optimal’ depressants – and the most readily available ‘depressants’ for us is alcohol,” Musalek explains. Those affected also often use cocaine or amphetamines.
Stage 3: Exhaustion and depressive states
Stage 3 is ultimately a disease because it leads to severe and prolonged states of exhaustion, which can culminate in severe depression. “These people suffer from everything we associate with ‘loss’ – joylessness, insomnia, lack of interest, etc. While in the first two phases the focus of care is mainly on advice and coaching, in phase 3 antidepressants and psychotherapy are often necessary, the expert emphasized.
By the way, simply ‘working overtime’ does not mean burnout. “Working a lot alone does not lead to burnout. The lack of positive feedback, a poor working atmosphere and the perceived unfair treatment are the causal factors. Especially if your own value system is incompatible with the value system at your work.” But the often careless interaction in daily life also plays a major role. Prevention would be important, says Musalek, especially in the workplace.
Burnout is also a problem for children
According to the psychiatrist, children and young people can also be affected: “There are a number of young people who, due to the pressure to succeed, end up in a state of exhaustion and reduced performance.
Then they get bad grades at school, which means even more stress and can lead to a negative spiral.” Those affected become alienated from their classmates, no longer want to go to school and refuse.
Source: Krone
I’m Ben Stock, a journalist and author at Today Times Live. I specialize in economic news and have been working in the news industry for over five years. My experience spans from local journalism to international business reporting. In my career I’ve had the opportunity to interview some of the world’s leading economists and financial experts, giving me an insight into global trends that is unique among journalists.
