Work burnout officially named a disease by World Health Organization

Not much of a surprise to the many Americans who experience it, but the World Health Organization has officially named burnout as an official disease.

Ted Green, a psychologist with Gundersen Health System, called the move significant.

“We create diagnosis to organize symptoms, find a name for a group of symptoms, and also research what treatments might work.”, Green says. “For that criteria this was important.”

Doctors have several symptoms to work with in diagnosing someone with burnout, and Green points out it’s more than just a rough week at the office.

“It’s more of a prolonged feeling of exhaustion or energy depletion”, Green says. “Feeling an ongoing distance with your job, and it often times bleeds into other areas of your life.”

That could manifest in different ways including snapping at your children, or spending more time at the bar.

WHO also has named Video Game Addiction a disease as well.