Causes and Prevention of Burnout in Human Services Staff
Causes and Prevention of Burnout in Human Services Staff
Michelle Heard
BSHS 461
July 12, 2012
Karen Tinsley, LCSW
Causes and Prevention of Burnout in Human Services Staff
While extended stress could cause burnout, it is not the equivalent thing as burnout. When stressed, most people feel weighed down, as if too much has been plied on them and they are powerless to keep up or manage (www.Sunway.edu, 2008). Stress is typically regarding too much, whereas burnout, on the other hand, is regarding not enough. Someone burned out has no drive and is indifferent. Stress frequently transforms into physical problems such as heart issues, while burnout transforms into emotional problems such as depression and lack of interest (www.Sunway.edu, 2008).
Most people have moments in their careers and/or jobs where they feel exhausted and/or perhaps wish for something different. When those feelings spiral over time, burnout could result. The website, Dictionary.com defines burnout as, physical or mental collapse caused by being overworked. While the website, Merriam-Webster.com, defines it as a state of total emotional and physical fatigue, caused by chronic anxiety, or a delayed lack of returned fulfillment. According to the journal, Annual Review of Psychology, the term professional burnout means emotionally burnout over jobs and careers. Individuals suffering from professional burnout detest the idea of “going to work”, no longer have motivation, and desperately wishes there could be a way out, something better than their current situation (www.Sunway.edu, 2008). Although burnout is recognized by the International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems (ICD) as problems related to life-management difficulty, it is not a recognized disorder in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM).
Many human service professionals fall victim to employee burnout, mainly because of heavy caseloads, minimal resources, and
Michelle Heard
BSHS 461
July 12, 2012
Karen Tinsley, LCSW
Causes and Prevention of Burnout in Human Services Staff
While extended stress could cause burnout, it is not the equivalent thing as burnout. When stressed, most people feel weighed down, as if too much has been plied on them and they are powerless to keep up or manage (www.Sunway.edu, 2008). Stress is typically regarding too much, whereas burnout, on the other hand, is regarding not enough. Someone burned out has no drive and is indifferent. Stress frequently transforms into physical problems such as heart issues, while burnout transforms into emotional problems such as depression and lack of interest (www.Sunway.edu, 2008).
Most people have moments in their careers and/or jobs where they feel exhausted and/or perhaps wish for something different. When those feelings spiral over time, burnout could result. The website, Dictionary.com defines burnout as, physical or mental collapse caused by being overworked. While the website, Merriam-Webster.com, defines it as a state of total emotional and physical fatigue, caused by chronic anxiety, or a delayed lack of returned fulfillment. According to the journal, Annual Review of Psychology, the term professional burnout means emotionally burnout over jobs and careers. Individuals suffering from professional burnout detest the idea of “going to work”, no longer have motivation, and desperately wishes there could be a way out, something better than their current situation (www.Sunway.edu, 2008). Although burnout is recognized by the International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems (ICD) as problems related to life-management difficulty, it is not a recognized disorder in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM).
Many human service professionals fall victim to employee burnout, mainly because of heavy caseloads, minimal resources, and
References: Borritz, M. (2006). Burnout in human service work - causes and consequences. National Institute of Occupational Health. Dictionary.com (2012). Burnout. http://www.dictionary.com/burnout/ Help-Guide.org. (2010). Stress at Work. Retrieved from http://www.helpguide.org/mental/work_stress_management.htm International Classification of Diseases. Geneva: World Health Organization, 1994. Lewis, J., Packard, T., & Lewis, M. (2007). Management of human service programs. Belmont: Thomson. Maslach, C.; Schaufeli, W. B.; Leiter, M. P. (2001). S. T. Fiske, D. L. Schacter, & C. Zahn-Waxler. ed. "Job burnout". Annual Review of Psychology (52): 397–422. Merriam-Webster.com (2012). Burnout. http://www.merriam-webster.com/burnout/ Sunway.edu (2008). Professional Burnout. Retrieved from http://www.theravive.com/services/professional-burnout.htm