Prof. Laurinaitis: cases of burnout syndrome are increasing – which professions are at greatest risk?

During his visit to the Kaunas College, doctor psychiatrist, psychotherapist, professor Eugenijus Laurinaitis warned – the International Labor Organization records a growing number of cases of burnout syndrome, and representatives of those professions who have to work with people have the greatest risk of encountering this syndrome. Burnout syndrome can be recognized by three main symptoms: emotional exhaustion, depersonalization and self-disappointment.

“Emotional exhaustion is the feeling that everything is over, I can’t do it anymore. However, this feeling alone is not a burnout syndrome,” emphasizes the professor. Explaining what depersonalization is, E. Laurinaitis notes that it is a loss of personal values: “What I came to this job for, what was interesting to me in it, stopped being interesting.” And the third symptom – self-disappointment – the professor explains as failure to meet self-imposed expectations.

He also points out the 12 steps to burnout. One of them is enthusiasm, when an employee seeks to prove his capabilities: “Those who know will live peacefully; those who want to show that they can do better burn out.”

However, according to the professor, the desire to work better is a self-deception, when the illusion is created that time creates quality. When you stop counting working hours, other needs – cultural, physical, social, family – may be neglected. According to E. Laurinaitis, then conflicts with relatives may arise.

“In order not to be so painful, a person reviews his values, reevaluates what is most important to him. Then the problems that arose in the relationship become as if they are not his – the person seems to know what he is doing”, shares the professor. In order to avoid unpleasant feelings, one retreats. The psychotherapist notes that then a person completely drowns in work, obvious changes in his behavior appear.

“And this is where depersonalization comes from – I do, I work, I try, but nothing changes. Therefore, there is a very unpleasant inner discomfort, when after sacrificing so much to achieve a goal, nothing is gained. Then the symptoms of depression appear”, says E. Laurinaitis.

Smiltė Juraitė, the head of Kaunas College’s community welfare and internal and external communication consultant, says that while consulting various organizations, she notices that one of the main problems that prevent employees from seeing maturing mental and emotional health problems in time is the lack of communication between managers and their team members, openness is not ensured, lack of feedback.

“In order to ensure the well-being of employees, one should look rather broadly – here attention should also be paid to improving the climate, ensuring suitable working conditions, creating a wage and motivation system, creating a safe and supportive environment”, says the head of community welfare and adds that suitable working and a balance of rest, a community that supports, empowers and recognizes an employee’s efforts can also help prevent burnout.

S. Juraitė notes that employees who feel bad and are on the verge of burnout are significantly less productive, it is difficult to expect breakthroughs, creative solutions and significant results for the organization in their daily activities. According to her, various studies have revealed that health ailments, stress, feeling of insecurity, tension in the team or at home have a huge impact on the employee’s communication with colleagues and customers, the probability of errors and losses increases significantly, the problems of employee turnover increase, etc.

“For some time now, a very good trend has been observed in organizations – increasing concern for the well-being of their employees, their mental and emotional health. Organizations understand that even with state-of-the-art offices, attractive motivational systems, and focus on donut Fridays, game nights, or expensive team-building events, the impact on company results and employee engagement will not be ensured if people’s physical and mental health and emotional well-being are not in a critical situation”, says S. Juraitė.

Marina Guptor, a psychologist-psychotherapist working at Kaunas College, notices that schoolchildren and students can also face burnout syndrome. She points out that the stress experienced in the learning process is usually accompanied by overwork, lack of attention and apathy.

Academic burnout syndrome can be prevented, according to M. Guptor, by allocating time for quality rest, maintaining a proper work, study and personal life balance. Mindfulness practices, meditation, communication with mentors, psychologists or family, and journaling are tools that can help prevent burnout.

“Once you’ve realized that you’re “burnt out”, there are two options: to treat the symptoms yourself or to consult a specialist. The second option is simpler, more reliable, but not always possible. The first option can be implemented as follows: ask friends, family members for help. Prioritize tasks and discard some. Allow at least a day for proper rest and sleep. Try to create a daily routine. Remember what previously inspired you, made you happy, and try to return to it,” the psychologist-psychotherapist shares advice on how to deal with academic burnout syndrome.

However, M. Guptor urges you not to be afraid to seek help from specialists, especially if you have been dealing with attention and concentration problems, reduced efficiency, feeling of lack of time, insomnia, weakened immunity, social isolation, apathy for some time.

“If you cannot overcome the academic burnout syndrome yourself, it is possible that the reasons are deeper and it will be very difficult to deal with them on your own, so I encourage you to contact specialists,” advises the psychologist.