Are You Experiencing Clinical Depression or Burnout?
Depression and burnout are two distinct psychological conditions that share similarities. However, key differences exist.
Depression is a mental health disorder caused by biological factors, life events, or chronic stress, characterized by persistent sadness, hopelessness, and worthlessness. This medical condition may also bring changes in appetite, sleep changes, lack of energy, and poor cognitive function.
People with clinical depression may feel guilty, have trouble concentrating or making decisions, feel disconnected, or have thoughts of suicide or self-harm. (1)
On the other hand, burnout includes feeling emotionally drained, helpless, or overwhelmed from work or personal life, losing motivation and satisfaction in one's work, and experiencing physical symptoms such as headaches, stomach problems, and insomnia.
89% of workers have experienced burnout within the past year. 77% of employees have experienced feelings of burnout at their current job. (2)
While depression and burnout share symptoms such as fatigue and lack of motivation, some key differences exist.
Depression is often characterized by a persistent low mood and a sense of helplessness and hopelessness, while burnout is typically associated with feelings of cynicism, detachment, and overwhelm.
Depression is a clinical disorder requiring diagnosis and treatment.
However, burnout often relates to work-related stress. Making changes, such as finding like-minded people at work or in your personal life, can help.
Let's check out the most likely jobs to cause burnout next.
What are the Worst Jobs for Your Mental Health?
Some jobs more commonly make employees feel burned out. You may need a break if you're working in one of these high-burnout careers. Sometimes you have to step away to regain your perspective. Time away can help your depressing job feel less stressful!
The prevalence rates of burnout for teachers are shocking! In the United States, 44% of teachers in K-12 education said they very often or always feel burned out at work, while for college or university teachers, the figure was 35%. (3)
According to Yahoo Finance, other jobs that have high statistical burnout rates include:
- Nurse
- Construction
- Social worker
- EMTs
- Surgeon
- Retail employee
- CPA
- Air traffic controller
- Fast-food worker
- Veterinary tech
- Public defenders
Jobs in medicine, law, STEM can also be notoriously stressful! If your job is not on this list and you still feel burned out, it may be time to start thinking about why your career is not suited to your personality and strengths.
Talk with friends about your job stress and whether you might have work-related depression, burnout, or a mental health condition. Friends and family can often see that a job makes you lose a good night's sleep and interest in life.
.webp)
Why Is YOUR Current Job a Problem for YOU?
No one has the exact issues that you do. Your current employer or job may be a poor fit for you. You may feel miserable working at your job. However, others deal with the same job in ways you don't.
While some individuals dislike working with others, perhaps you enjoy that aspect of the job. Perhaps the monotony of office cubicle life itself leaves you feeling depressed. Since we're all different, consider why you feel that your job is making you depressed.
Some people can do jobs they don't enjoy. Others don't mind if they don't get along with others. They shrug it off somehow.
But we're all wired differently. According to the National Institute for Health Care Management Foundation (NIHCM), 51% of U.S. workers reported worse mental health at work when related to:
- Motivation for your work: Expressing creativity and innovation is your lifeblood. You may need to think beyond the mundane and monotonous at work. Or you may have a deep need to help others or feel like your work is meaningful.
- Stress: You can feel stressed for a million reasons that someone else may not understand.
- Work-life balance: You may need quiet and alone time built into your day to function. Or you need shorter working hours, a daycare or workout center on-site, etc.
- Team Morale: Does creating harmony with those around you matter deeply?
- Productivity Issues: Trying to function with ADD or another mental disorder makes it difficult to grab hold of your daily functional duties and perform at a high level. You may burn out quickly at each job. If this could be the case for you, see a counselor or a doctor to find options for more stability.
Whatever it is that drives you or limits you, don't ignore it. Instead, find new career options that embrace your unique talents and struggles. We're all different in ways that make us good at some things and terrible at others.
Doing a job you're not functional in or you dislike intensely can bring stress, burnout, depression, and relational difficulties!
It's time to think beyond just quitting your job. You need a vision for your future. Start looking at Unmudl!
