Burnout or depression? How to identify and manage symptoms

Feeling helpless or hopeless? You might have burnout or depression. Symptoms can be similar, but the causes are very different. Academic psychiatrist Gordon Parker explains how to identify what’s up - and to cope with it.

If your summer holiday already feels like a distant memory, you’re not alone. Burnout – a state of emotional, physical and mental exhaustion following prolonged stress – has been described in workplaces since a 5th-century monastery in Egypt. Burnout and depression can look similar and are relatively common conditions.



It’s estimated that 30% of the Australian workforce is feeling some level of burnout , while almost 20% of Australians are diagnosed with depression at some point in their lives. So what’s the difference between burnout and depression? Depression is marked by helplessness and burnout by hopelessness. They can have different causes and should be managed differently.

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