Doctors call for improved burnout prevention

Psychosomatic: Experts call for better burnout provision

22/03/2011

The demands in professional life have been steadily increasing for years. The growing pressure to perform, the fear of unemployment and the different pressures on the job are causing more and more people to suffer from mental illness such as burnout or depression.

Improved burn-out prevention demanded
The health insurance companies report that more and more people are suffering from mental disorders and as a result are increasingly incapacitated for work. As part of this, physicians called for significantly improved prevention in the run-up to the Congress on Psychosomatic Medicine and Psychotherapy. The president of the congress, dr. Wolfgang mustard at the beginning of the event: „Above all, the research on burnout includes work organization framework conditions for the risks of chronic fatigue and less individual reasons.“

Time pressure and working conditions Main trigger
A high workload, lack of time and time pressure, low development possibilities as well as the parallel work on several tasks are in the opinion of the experts to the main triggers of chronic stress. In times of cell phones and the claim of employers „always available“ To be less and less people can turn off once. For many, the demands of the family continue to increase the stress in private life. An incessant cycle that eventually leads to fatigue syndrome burnout. „Finally, total exhaustion occurs when people can no longer replenish their work-related resource and energy consumption“, explained mustard. Above all, the very dedicated employees are threatened sooner or later by a burnout. According to the health insurance DAK also more and more younger people are affected.

always „good and hardworking“ carries high risk
„Being good becomes a risk, so to speak“, said mustard. Those who do their job well are often overwhelmed with other sometimes difficult tasks. This inevitably leads to an overload and therefore to severe mental, organic and mental exhaustion of hitherto healthy people.

First signs of a fatigue syndrome
The first signs of a burnout syndrome are physical, mental and emotional states of exhaustion. The sufferers notice an increasing lack of drive and a significant loss of the ability to come to rest even to be able to switch off. In addition, there are sleep disorders, chronic fatigue, inner restlessness and increased psychosomatic complaints. The closer working environment is also beginning to show signs: those affected are increasingly cynical about colleagues and supervisors, and there is a generally dismissive, sometimes aggressive working atmosphere. However, burnout is not a psychiatric illness, says mustard. Many require early-stage professional support in the form of supervision and psychotherapy. Further treatment options must be individually tailored to the patient. In many cases it is sufficient to change the task area or the workplace. Others need a cure or a longer recovery period. (Sb)

Also read:
Bad working conditions burden the psyche
Burnout Syndrome: Total Exhaustion
Burn out usually affects the committed
More and more people are affected by burnout syndrome
Underuse makes you ill: The Bore-out syndrome
Valerian & L-tryptophan: approaches to sleep disorder

Picture: Gerd Altmann