Burnout syndrome – prevention and treatment

The definition of burnout syndrome was established due to the recognition of changes that practising physicians experienced in their affective state and behaviour as well as the observation of physical symptoms that put their health at risk. Burnout syndrome can be characterised by a triadic set of factors: emotional exhaustion, depersonalisation, and decline of professional achievement. The present article aims to describe burnout syndrome with regard to the fact that similarities and differences between burnout syndrome and affective disorders such as depression must be highlighted. The focus of this article is that health care professionals burnout is multicausal and it is insuffi cient to put only the individual in the spotlight although it is imperative that we attend to the individual fi rst. It is essential to highlight the fact that without changes in the institutional work culture and requirements the prevalence of burnout syndrome can hardly decrease. It is also the aim of this work to provide the practising health care professional with information that they can easily transform into immediate help.