Depression vs. Burnout: Understanding the Difference and Approaches to Recovery
By Wes Higgins
Feeling exhausted, unmotivated, or emotionally drained? Learn how to differentiate between burnout and clinical depression.
We live in fast-paced times where we are often constantly bombarded by information, juggling multiple tasks while being asked to be constantly available. When facing high-loads of stress, it can become difficult to find the motivation to seize the day. If you find yourself exhausted, unmotivated, and emotionally drained then you are not alone. These symptoms are both conditions of both depression and burnout.
But what are depression and burnout? Are they two words for describing the same thing or is there a key difference? In this blog post, we’ll compare the two to find out where they overlap. But importantly, from a psychotherapy perspective, we’ll discuss how different approaches may be warranted given crucial differences between the two.
What is Burnout?
Burnout is not a diagnosable medical condition, but the experience can nonetheless be studied scientifically. An overarching review of studies since the 1970s found that most researchers agreed that burnout is a syndrome consisting of three dimensions: emotional exhaustion, cynicism, and lacking feelings of adequacy (Maslach & Leiter, 2016). Ask yourself, do you relate to any of these three signs of burnout?
Exhaustion: “I’m often in a bad mood, feeling drained without motivation to do anything productive. Work, school, or even things I used to enjoy feel like a chore.”
Cynicism: “I don’t believe in what I’m doing anymore. No one appreciates me and it’s not worth putting the effort into things. I might as well quit while I’m ahead.”
Inadequacy: “No matter how much I’ve tried, I will never be good at this. I’m incompetent and that can’t change.”
What is Depression?
Major Depressive Disorder (MDD), commonly known as depression, is a clinical condition characterized by persistent sadness, as well as loss of pleasure in once enjoyable activities. It is often accompanied by loss of appetite, insomnia, and feelings of worthlessness (American Psychiatric Association, 2013). Does any of that sound like you?
Depressed Mood: “I feel down, sad, or numb most days. It’s like I am stuck being empty inside while life passes by.”
Diminished Interest: “The hobbies I used to find enjoyable are longer pleasurable. I often find it hard to really engage in the moment with other people. Sometimes I might even get irritable with loved ones for not understanding that I can’t just be happy.”
Guilt and Shame: “I often spend time lying awake thinking about my failures, and wondering how life could have been different if I wasn’t who I am. Sometimes when I look in the mirror, I see a worthless, or even a bad person, staring back.”
Is There Overlap?
Many of the experiences listed above for both burnout and depression may sound similar, and that’s because there is overlap (Georganta et al. 2019). Even some researchers have argued that they are ultimately the same construct, with burnout being a form of depression. As we can see above, what’s called “adhedonia” — loss of interest or pleasure — is a telltale sign of depression. This overlaps with the emotional exhaustion that’s essential to what we call burnout. Similarly, feelings of personal inadequacy that are common to burnout also overlap with more general feelings of guilt and worthlessness described by those suffering from depression.
What are the Key Differences Then?
First burnout is usually described as an occupational phenomenon. Burnout tends to happen when you're stuck dealing with constant, unmanageable stress at work. It’s basically, when the job keeps asking more than you can realistically handle for way too long. However, in our experience, burnout can affect non-professional parts of life. For example, a person can get burnt out by a hobby. An expansion of the concept does not necessarily mean it should be subsumed by depression, however. They are separate but related. What’s essential to burnout, but not necessarily depression, is prolonged stress and fatigue that is caused by an activity usually work related. It is always characterized by stress and will go away when the cause of that stress is removed.
Therapeutic Approach to Burnout
There are many therapeutic approaches to treating depression, since the experience can encompass all areas of life and can persist even without an immediate cause. Although not considered a mental disorder, burnout can still be addressed in the therapeutic context. For example, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) can address any underlying perfectionist thoughts that may contribute to burnout. If a person is holding themselves up to an impossible standard, then self-imposed demands will cause burnout quickly. Even if unrealistic work demands are mostly coming from the boss, CBT is also useful for helping the client break down tasks and setting boundaries to make things feel more manageable. Finally, CBT can teach resilience skills and improve interpersonal communication, as a bad work environment often starts with non-constructive and toxic relationships.
However, there are many therapeutic modalities, such as experiential modalities (Gestalt, AEDP, etc.), that can get you in touch with your experience of burnout and perfectionist tendencies in order to motivate change in how you manage stressful environments. Burnout tends to occur out of your awareness, making it difficult to be in touch with your experience and therefore reinforcing a cycle of stress.
Recognizing the distinction between burnout and depression can lead to more effective coping strategies and better mental health outcomes. Either way, both can be talked through with a professional mental health counselor.
If you’d like to meet with any of the therapists at our practice about persistent feelings of depression or burnout, you can make an appointment or contact us with questions. We look forward to working with you!
References
Bianchi, R., Schonfeld, I. S., & Laurent, E. (2015). Burnout–depression overlap: A review. Clinical Psychology Review, 36, 28-41. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cpr.2015.01.004
American Psychiatric Association. (2013). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (5th ed.). https://doi.org/10.1176/appi.books.9780890425596
Koutsimani, P., Montgomery, A., & Georganta, K. (2019). The Relationship Between Burnout, Depression, and Anxiety: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. Frontiers in psychology, 10, 284. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2019.00284
