Is It Burnout or Depression? How to Tell the Difference
- Is It Burnout or Depression? How to Tell the Difference
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Have you been struggling with exhaustion and a lack of desire to do daily tasks? Do you find yourself overwhelmed and perhaps hopeless? You might be experiencing burnout, but it could be something more.
It can be difficult to know if you’re experiencing burnout or major depression because they both can cause:
- Fatigue (feeling physical and/or emotionally drained)
- Loss of motivation
- Lack of interest in things once enjoyed
- Difficulty thinking and concentrating
- Hopelessness
- Withdrawal from friends, family, and activities
- Physical symptoms (headaches, digestive troubles, muscle or joint pain, and more)
- Neurochemical/hormonal changes in the brain and body
Both conditions, burnout and depression, can make life difficult. Depression, though, goes deeper and is more serious. In addition to the above symptoms, depression can cause:
- A sense of worthlessness
- Excessive feelings of guilt
- Significant weight changes
- Sleep disturbances (sleeping too much or hardly at all)
- Thoughts or death or suicide, with or without a plan
Burnout is typically caused by stress. While depression can be linked to stress, its causes can also be genetic. Sometimes, the cause of depression is unknown. Burnout tends to be shorter lived, improving once the stressor is addressed. Depression can disrupt life for weeks, months, or even years if left untreated.
The good news is that both burnout and major depression can be treated. Working with a therapist can be beneficial for both, as can lifestyle changes like nutrition, exercise, relaxation, and mindfulness. Sometimes, depression requires antidepressant medication. If you are experiencing symptoms that are interfering in your life, scheduling an appointment with your doctor can help you sort things out and begin the journey to recovery.
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Articles Related to Depression and Burnout
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- Depression Diagnosis and How is Depression Diagnosed?
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- Self-Help for Depression: What Helps?
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Today's Question: If you’ve ever suffered burn out, what has helped you? We invite you to participate by sharing your thoughts, experiences, and knowledge on the HealthyPlace Facebook page.
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From the HealthyPlace Mental Health Blogs
On all our blogs, your comments and observations are welcomed.
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Feel free to share your thoughts and comments at the bottom of any blog post. And visit the mental health blogs homepage for the latest posts.
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From HealthyPlace YouTube Channel
Negative feedback at work can trigger bipolar disorder depression or mania. How you handle it makes a difference. Take a look.
Subscribe to the HealthyPlace YouTube channel
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Most Popular HealthyPlace Articles Shared by Facebook Fans
Here are the top 3 mental health articles HealthyPlace Facebook fans are recommending you read:
- Changing the Meaning of a Rape Anniversary
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If you're not already, I hope you'll like us on Facebook too. There are a lot of wonderful, supportive people there.
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Quote About Addiction
“When you can stop, you don't want to. And when you want to stop, you can't. That's addiction.”
Read more quotes about addiction and recovery.
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That's it for now. If you know of anyone who can benefit from this newsletter or the HealthyPlace.com site, I hope you'll pass this onto them. You can also share the newsletter on any social network you belong to by clicking the links below. For updates throughout the week, follow us on Twitter, like us on Facebook, subscribe to our YouTube channel, or follow us on Instagram.
Thank you,
Deborah
Community Partner Team
HealthyPlace.com - America's Mental Health Channel
"When you're at HealthyPlace.com, you're never alone."
http://www.healthyplace.com
APA Reference
Peterson, T.
(2021, May 11). Is It Burnout or Depression? How to Tell the Difference, HealthyPlace. Retrieved
on 2024, December 11 from https://www.healthyplace.com/other-info/mental-health-newsletter/is-it-burnout-or-depression-how-to-tell-the-difference