What Is Burnout? Symptoms To Recognize, Ways to Support A Friend Or Family Member

Have a friend or family member dealing with burnout? Understanding and support are key. Know how to help effectively and positively impact their recovery journey.

Some symptoms of burnout, like signs of exhaustion, overlap with those of depression (Image credit: Freepik)

When a relative or friend is suffering from burnout, they need your help. Burnout is the result of a long period of stress which negatively affects your wellbeing.

While seeking professional help and being diagnosed is a first, important step, relatives and friends can also do their part to make things easier for the person affected.

The most important thing when someone close to you suffers from burnout is to be understanding, says Professor Petra Beschoner, a specialist in psychiatry, psychotherapy and psychosomatic medicine.

"Ideally, relatives should educate themselves about the illness and organise professional help - also for themselves," Beschoner, who heads a clinic in southern Germany, recommends.

"People who suffer from burnout often react cynically and irritably, which can be very stressful for their social environment. Those affected also withdraw. However, this should not be seen as a personal offence, but as a symptom of burnout."

People tend to think that they need to handle those affected by burnout with kid gloves, Beschoner says. But this can be counterproductive, according to the expert.

"Relatives often tend to keep everything away from the person affected. But burnout patients in particular often define themselves by their responsibilities, so restricting their autonomy is not very effective," she explains.

Some symptoms of burnout, like signs of exhaustion, overlap with those of depression. According to the doctor, it is therefore important that the diagnosis is always made by specialists or psychotherapists who have the necessary differential diagnostic experience.

According to Britain's National Health Service, other symptoms of burnout include muscle pains, headaches, sleeping problems, weight gain or loss and memory problems.