Burnout has been the focus of much attention in recent years. As a result, this mental illness is mostly accepted. Unfortunately, burnout or somatic symptom disorder is still not always properly identified.
Burnout or overworked?
The term burnout is not an official diagnosis. In the official designation, we then speak of somatic symptom disorder, or depression. This can vary from person to person and should always be examined carefully. With overworkedness, you often face a period of excessive stress that causes you to become overworked. It usually manifests as fatigue, irritability, sleep problems, memory problems and difficulty concentrating. Taking rest is often recommended to recover from overexertion.
When you are dealing with burnout, we often refer to it as "chronic overwork. Burnout occurs when you have overburdened yourself for a long period of time. Often you have spent years developing a habit of overcharging yourself, which eventually leads you into burnout.
When do you have a somatic symptom disorder?
With somatic symptom disorder, in addition to the above symptoms, you also suffer from long-term physical symptoms such as: dizziness, intestinal discomfort, palpitations, fatigue or headaches. These symptoms can disrupt your daily life and often trigger negative and anxious thoughts. A somatic symptom disorder may be similar to depression in this respect. Some cases involve a combination of both mental disorders.
What are the causes of burnout?
Often burnout is linked to work-related stress, but this need not be the only cause. Burnout is caused by a combination of factors that produce chronic stress. You may also be more susceptible to burnout because of certain personality traits. For example, characteristics such as perfectionism, unrealistic expectations of yourself, difficulty saying no or difficulty asking for help.
How does U-center treat burnout or depression?
Burnout often does not come alone and is often related to depression. Various biological, psychological and social factors may also play a role in the development of your symptoms. That's why we work from a comprehensive approach, taking into account everything that affects your burnout. Consider relationships, family situation, work, health and your own personality traits. Together with the treatment team, you examine the causes of burnout to truly eliminate the source of your symptoms. You change the patterns that perpetuate your symptoms. If you want to return to work, we also like to involve your supervisor or company doctor. So that together we can achieve good reintegration.