Burnout! What Happens When Work Becomes Soul-Crushing — And What to Do About It

‘Jessica’s story is far from exceptional. Indeed, the world seems to be in the midst of a pandemic of burnout, spread across all age groups, genders, professions, and cultures. The lead article of this year’s January/February Scientific American Mind boldly declares that job satisfaction worldwide is in “a surprisingly fragile state.”

Research specific to mental health providers finds that between 21 and 67 percent may be experiencing high levels of burnout. Since the 1970s, when the term first appeared, other related “conditions” have been identified, including compassion fatigue (CF), vicarious traumatization (VT), and secondary traumatic stress (STS), all aimed at describing the negative impact that working in human services can have on mental and physical health.

The toll is severe. Growing rates of absenteeism, job turnover, and reports of depression, anxiety, exhaustion, and physical illness (e.g., insomnia, hypertension, high blood sugar, excess body fat, abnormal cholesterol levels, cardiovascular events, musculoskeletal disorders) are well documented.’

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