[What is burnout syndrome?].

Now, more than ever, everyone is talking about burnout syndrome. As was previously the case with neurasthenia, the aim is to characterize a job-related stress and non-stigmatized clinical picture. However, burnout is neither a psychiatric diagnosis nor a clearly delineated scientific concept. The primary symptoms constitute emotional exhaustion, changes in behavior at the workplace and impaired performance. Some of the causes may be attributable to chronic stress at work, but also to biographically related vulnerability and general meaninglessness in our society. Prevention and treatment focus on improving the individual's stress coping skills, optimizing their job situation, planning more time for rest and recreation and more far-reaching changes in their attitude and lifestyle. The means to achieve this include behavioral therapy-based educational learning processes, analytically oriented psychotherapy regimens, pharmacotherapy and hospital treatments.