Defining burnout: What is this syndrome and what sets it apart from other labels?

Burnout is highly prevalent in the medical profession, yet the term is often used vaguely in both academic and everyday conversation.

This article seeks to define burnout and delineate it from similar conditions.

There are multiple theoretical models describing burnout in the literature, identifying various symptoms. A small body of literature has described burnout in doctors. Summarising these bodies of key research indicates that burnout is a late-stage reaction to chronic stress where self-protective psychological mechanisms are invoked to minimise further psychological and physical strain. It comprises five core symptom domains of exhaustion, depersonalisation, reduced sense of achievement, heightened affective reactivity, and cognitive and performance problems. Burnout shows a distinct aetiology and symptom profile from depression, stress and vicarious trauma. Greater understanding of what burnout is will facilitate earlier recognition and more specific intervention to prevent exacerbation.