The World Health Organization has said that “burn-out” remains an “occupational phenomenon” that could lead someone to seek care but it is not considered a medical condition.
The clarification came a day after the WHO mistakenly said it had listed burn-out in its International Classification of Diseases (ICD) for the first time on May 27, 2019.
WHO has now defined burn-out as “a syndrome conceptualized as resulting from chronic workplace stress that has not been successfully managed.”
It said the syndrome was characterized by:
1) feelings of energy depletion or exhaustion;
2) increased mental distance from one’s job, or feelings of negativism or cynicism related to one’s job; and
3) reduced professional efficacy.
“Burn-out refers specifically to phenomena in the occupational context and should not be applied to describe experiences in other areas of life,” according to the definition.
The updated ICD list was drafted last year following recommendations from health experts around the world.
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