The World Health Organization (WHO) said “burnout” is not a medical condition but an occupational phenomenon.
In a statement Tuesday, the WHO reported that burnout is included in the 11th Revision of the International Classification of Diseases (ICD-11), where it was described as one of the “factors influencing health status or contact with health services but not classed as illnesses or health conditions”.
The international health body made the statement after reports quoted as “announcing burnout as a legitimate or official medical condition”.
The ICD-11 clarified that burnout is a “syndrome conceptualized as resulting from chronic workplace stress that has not been successfully managed”.
“It is characterized by three dimensions which include feelings of energy depletion or exhaustion; increased mental distance from one’s job, or feelings of negativism or cynicism related to one's job; and reduced professional efficacy,” it added, stressing that burnout has occupational context and should not be applied to describe experiences in other areas of life.
In connection with this, the WHO said it would develop an “evidence-based guidelines on mental well-being in the workplace”. (Ma. Teresa Montemayor/PNA)
