An article from the Counselling Directory magazine ‘Happiful’ highlights that burn-out is now officially recognised by the World Health Organisation (WHO) as a medical condition. These are four factors which the WHO identifies as characterising the condition:
- feelings of energy depletion or exhaustion
- increased mental distance from one’s job
- feelings of negativism or cynicism related to one’s job
- reduced professional efficacy.
This new recognition does not officially take effect until January 2022, when the International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems (ICD-11) replaces the previous version ICD-10. The WHO is also careful to point out that this would be a work-related medical condition and is not applicable to other life situations.