Burnout also requires recognizing the role of the collective, say experts

It is unlikely that anyone has not read or heard about burnout, the English term adopted to describe burnout. There are books about the generational profile of the syndrome, celebrities such as gymnast Simone Biles came to the public to tell their experiences, podcasts and profiles on social networks deal with the subject.

And it is necessary to talk even more, say experts from different areas, so that visibility allows, at the same time, more diagnoses and less stigmatization.

Since January 1st, the syndrome has gained a new and more detailed description in the ICD-11 (International Classification of Diseases). The change is subtle. From a health condition, it is now described as an occupational phenomenon, in the index of “problems associated with being employed or unemployed”.

For psychiatrist and psychoanalyst João Salla, the new classification can help medical societies to define care flows.

“Perhaps it is an interesting direction to think about, to look at this patient in burnout and establish a flow of care. Maybe they can get more lectures and bring this to psychiatry as a whole and guide that this person needs treatment”, he says. “The approach to burnout in Brazil is still very academic”, he says.

The most detailed description of the syndrome, beyond simple professional burnout, says that burnout has three dimensions that may or may not occur concomitantly.

There is professional dissatisfaction that escapes into personal life, a permanent feeling of lack of purpose, depersonalization, when people start to be seen as objects and the worker expresses himself through cynical behavior, and there is emotional exhaustion, which can be seen as a state of profound apathy.

A delicate starting point in approaching burnout is that there is no defined and unique treatment for those affected by the syndrome.

The treatment, highlights the specialist, is always individual. Protection for workers, however, is always environmental, that is, it is related to the place, which is usually where the subject works, but which can also be the university, in the case of students.

In 2019, when they approved the new classification, PAHO (Pan American Health Organization) and WHO (World Health Organization) said that “burnout refers specifically to phenomena in the occupational context and should not be applied to describe experiences in other areas”. areas of life.”

Salla says he realizes that relatively simple measures, such as lectures, have a positive effect on workers. Taking a moment to talk about the subject allows those who share the same work environment to identify with each other.

“The problem is that the person doesn’t talk and the subject is usually ignored. When the employee is affected by burnout, he will be seen as a bad employee, but he is a sick person and that’s how he has to be treated.”

For João Marcio Souza, executive director of Talenses Executive, which works with recruitment and selection of manpower, only a deeper and, therefore, longer review of the way companies work can have an effect on burnout cases.

“First of all, a more structural change in capitalism and the search for profit is necessary, or people continue to suffer in the face of the successful model of organizations”, he says.

“We are living an excess of the present, of reality. People fall under the stress of running after goals, of growth. It was already an aggressive model and a pandemic is still coming”, says the Executive.

In Souza’s assessment, only a change in behavior from the top of companies can prevent “ice drying”. Psychoanalyst João Salla agrees: “the keynote of any change [de políticas para um ambiente de trabalho mais humanizado] is that it has to be from top to bottom.”

With the new classification, will the worker who decides to seek the Labor Court in search of reparation have an easier time? Not necessarily, according to lawyer Matheus Cantarella Vieira, from the labor area of ​​Mello e Torres Advogados, for whom the greatest effect of the reclassification is to increase attention to the disease.

“Anyway, in court, like any disease, it is necessary to demonstrate the company’s guilt, which may be for not having done anything or for having done something specific”, he says. “In this sense, not having abusive goals, barring long hours, respecting vacation periods and allowing the person to be disconnected from work are protective factors.”

For the executive director of the iN brand consultancy, Fábio Milnitzky, organizations already knew the importance of physical health as part of the productivity of their employees. “Now it is necessary that they also understand the need to develop a safe, transparent, active listening environment, so that exchanges become part of the corporate nature.”

The new ICD, in force since the 1st, also brought other changes, such as the reorganization of disorders that are part of the autism spectrum, and the reclassification of transsexuality, which left mental disorders, and is now in the sexual health index, under the name of “gender incongruity”.

Companies or individuals interested in assessing the potential for burnout syndrome can use adaptations of the MBI (Maslach Burnout Inventory), a scale created by the researcher that gives the questionnaire its name.

It is important to use the test only as a reference, a parameter, which is not a substitute for a medical or psychological evaluation. It does not represent a diagnosis, but it can help workers reflect on what they are experiencing.

How to use the questionnaire

Tick ​​the answer you most identify with:

When you’re done, multiply each X by the column value. For example, if you marked X in column 2, that X is worth two. Add up all the numbers.

Results:

• From 0 to 20 points: no sign of burnout
• From 21 to 40 points: possibility of developing burnout, try to work on recommendations for preventing the syndrome.
• From 41 to 60 points: initial stage of burnout, seek professional help to overcome the symptoms and thus guarantee the quality of your professional performance and your quality of life.
• From 61 to 80 points: burnout starts to set in. Seek professional help to prevent symptoms from getting worse.
• From 81 to 100 points: you may be in a considerable phase of burnout, but this situation is perfectly reversible. Look for the competent professional you trust and start the treatment as soon as possible

Source: questionnaire adapted by Chafic Jbeili, from the Maslach Burnout Inventory

where to look for help

Several health plans have specific programs to deal with mental health in multidisciplinary approaches, when the patient is attended by various types of professionals. Larger companies often have their own programs, usually developed by the human resources team.

In the public network, care can be provided from the UBS (Basic Health Units), where there is an outpatient service, or at Caps (Psychosocial Care Centers).

In São Paulo, according to the city hall, they all work on an “open-door regime”, that is, it is not necessary to schedule or forward the UBS. See here the list with the addresses of the Caps in the capital, divided by region.