How Do You Know If It's Burnout or Depression?

Short answer: The WHO uses "burnout" only for exhaustion and cynicism caused by chronic work stress, so it should stay tied to your job. Depression tends to follow you into days off and the things you used to enjoy. The two overlap heavily, and low feelings that last two weeks or more, or get in the way of daily life, are a reason to see a doctor.

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Burnout belongs to work, while depression follows you homeA holiday tells you something, but it won't fix everythingOther people often notice before you doWho to talk to, and what a first visit is likeTry this today

A review by burnout researcher Renzo Bianchi and colleagues describes a study of 5,575 French teachers. Among the teachers classed as burned out, 90% also met the criteria for a provisional diagnosis of depression on a standard questionnaire.

Burnout belongs to work, while depression follows you home

The World Health Organization lists burnout in its disease classification as an occupational phenomenon, not a medical condition. By its definition, the word applies only to work: exhaustion, growing distance or cynicism about your job, and a sense that you are no longer good at it.

So burnout, as the WHO uses the word, has edges. It lives where your job lives.

Think of something you used to enjoy that has nothing to do with work: cooking for friends, a weekly game of badminton, a series you once couldn't wait to watch. If your job feels pointless but those things still feel good, the weight is sitting mostly at work. If they have gone grey too, the word burnout no longer covers what is happening.

A holiday tells you something, but it won't fix everything

Rest repairs tiredness that comes from too much work. It doesn't reliably lift depression, so how you felt during a break is useful information.

Think back to your last few real days off. Did you feel like yourself again by the second or third day, even if the heaviness came back once work started? Or did you spend the time in bed, just as flat, and go back no lighter?

If it was the second, don't count on the next long weekend to sort things out. Bianchi and colleagues argue that because the two overlap so much, depression is the thing worth checking. Unlike burnout, it has clear criteria and tested ways to assess it.

Other people often notice before you do

The NHS says feeling down now and then is normal. Low feelings that last two weeks or more, or start to get in the way of everyday life, can be a sign of depression. Two weeks is shorter than most people expect. Many tired people have been counting in months.

The NHS also says depression can creep in slowly, and the person often doesn't realise they have changed. A partner, friend or relative is often the first to see it.

The signs may show up first in how people react to you. Someone asks if you're okay more than once. You realise you've stopped replying to a group chat you used to love. Other signs hide in small things: food you liked tastes of nothing, choosing what to buy for dinner feels heavy, or you snap at people you care about over nothing.

Thoughts that life isn't worth living, or that others would be better off without you, are never part of ordinary work stress.

Who to talk to, and what a first visit is like

If low feelings have lasted two weeks or more, or are affecting your work, sleep or relationships, see a doctor. Your family doctor or GP is a good first stop. A counsellor is another option, and many workplaces and universities offer free sessions.

A first appointment is mostly a conversation. Expect questions about how you've been feeling, how long it has lasted, your sleep, appetite and energy, and whether it's only work or everything. You may be asked to fill in a short questionnaire. If you tend to go blank in the room, type two or three real examples into your phone beforehand.

If you are having thoughts of harming yourself, don't wait for an appointment. Go to findahelpline.com to find a free, confidential helpline in your country, or contact your local emergency services.

Try this today

Pick one thing outside work that you used to look forward to, and write about the last time you did it.

Writing about one specific moment, rather than your mood in general, shows whether the heaviness stops at work or has followed you home.

Once you've written in Sojiwa on a few different days, you can tap "Analyse journals" (it costs a few tokens). The report includes "What I noticed" items that start with the day and a few of your own words, so you can see whether your hard days bunch up around work or spill into your days off.