[ad_1]
- The World Health Organization has finally declared that burnout is a real syndrome with medical consequences.
- The disease, discussed in the medical literature since the 1970s, is well known and has affected millions of people.
- Dealing with burnout is not so simple and requires organizational changes.
Everyone has heard of burnout. Given the high level of stress at the workplace in recent years, it would be even more shocking to fall on someone who did not do it. The notion is rooted in our cultural consciousness and can define a generation.
In spite of all this, it is only this month that WHO has officially recognized burnout at work as a syndrome that can push people to seek treatment.
Expect;
what?
In a press release, the WHO explained that "burnout" would be included in the 11th revision of the International Classification of Diseases (ICD-11), a guide for the diagnosis of diseases. It will be included in a chapter on "Factors affecting health status or contact with health services". They are careful to note that this is do not be included as a medical condition in itself, but rather as a reason why people are looking for mental health care.
Then how
did they define it?
The WHO has proposed a direct quote from the CIM:
Burnout is a syndrome conceptualized as resulting from chronic stress at work that has not been successfully managed. It is characterized by three dimensions:
1) Feelings of exhaustion or exhaustion of energy,
2) heightened mental distance from his work, or feelings of negativism or cynicism related to his work, or
3) Reduced professional efficiency
They then explained that these symptoms should be specifically work-related. Feeling exhausted by something else does not count. This definition is a refinement of the previous definition used in the 10th edition of the DCI, which better identifies the phenomenon while asserting that it is not a pathological condition in itself.
Why that
take so long to identify this condition? It seems simple enough.
There are several probable reasons for this delay.
First, the idea of burnout is not so old. The first medical report on the subject dates back to 1974, when psychologist Herbert Freudenberger used this term to describe the symptoms of "physical or mental collapse caused by overwork or stress." A slightly older use of the term to describe similar symptoms appeared in a book in 1961. Despite evidence that the idea had been floating for a while, it was not until 1981 that a test was created that could determine if anyone was suffering from Burnout.
Although 50 years may seem like enough time for medical science to agree on the existence of something or not, remember that medical science often advances slowly in the hope of ## 147 ## Be exact.
The fact that many symptoms of burnout do not overlap with the symptoms of depression also does not help. This has made the term "burnout" controversial over the years, with many researchers stating that it was simply a subset of depression rather than a separate condition. . These persistent concerns may explain the very narrow definition used above.
This is interesting
and all, but how can I avoid / deal with burnout? I ask a friend.
Dealing with burnout is difficult but not impossible. The three symptoms listed above are funny in the things that improve one often have little effect on others. Interventions such as CBT have shown promising results to help treat the disease, but this is not a quick fix. Another proven method was to give exhausted workers more control over their work.
The best option is to prevent it rather than treat it. The individual can only do a lot in prevention, but effective measures include eating well, sleeping well, keeping stress at a manageable level, setting appropriate limits, and having relaxation rituals. Knowing how much you can and can not handle goes almost without saying.
However, in the book The Truth About Overwork: How Organizations Cause Personal Stress and What to Do Psychologists Christina Maslach and Michael P. Leiter argue that the best that any individual can do is manage the symptoms and that it takes organizational changes to properly treat the disease.
The curative measures may include a better expression of the company's values, a stronger sense of community and support to the workers so that they do not feel overwhelmed by their workload. Measures like these can be profitable by preventing productivity declines.
Other thinkers, like sociologist Eric Blanc, argue that the best is to prevent burnout through a system change. In his interview and book VICE Revolt Red State: teachers' wave and working class politicsWhite suggests increasing unionization rates and reducing hours of work to improve working conditions conducive to burnout.
His ideas are rooted in reality. Recent experience in Sweden has shown how much a reduced working day is drastically reducing the lives of workers, and there is a lot of data on how unions are improving the working conditions of workers.
He also explained how our definition of burnout as an illness might not be entirely valid in all cases. as hard as your bosses might want to do you all day. "
Anne Petersen, from Buzzfeed, expressed similar notions: "We are beginning to understand what makes us uncomfortable, and it is not something that an oxygen facial or a treadmill pulpit. can fix … A change may come from legislation, collective action, advocacy, but it's a folly to imagine that it will come from the companies themselves. "
Burnout, recognized for decades as a true condition by millions of overworked Americans, has been recognized by the medical community as a legitimate reason to seek help. This could pave the way for better treatments for those who will suffer in the next few years.
If tackling the problem of excessive stress in the workplace and the inability to balance work and life takes more than just defining a medical text, it can be the first step towards a more relaxed world.
Related articles on the web
From your site
[ad_2]
Source link