The World Health Organization (WHO) characterizes burnout as “ such as a feeling of intense fatigue, loss of control and inability to achieve concrete results at work “.
For its part, the High Authority of Health (HAS), defines a “ physical, emotional, and mental exhaustion that results from prolonged investment in emotionally demanding work situations “.
Stop!
In the presence of burnout syndrome, the goal is to press the ‘button’Break. ‘ « The best medicine remains stopping work and therefore rest. », specifies Dr Patrick Lemoine, psychiatrist, author of What are the symptoms for? (Odile Jacob Editor). In other words, to move away from the socio-professional context at the origin of the problem.
Drug withdrawal?
According to the HAS, “ treatment of the disorder may include non-drug treatment based on psychotherapeutic or psycho-corporeal interventions », carried out by a health professional or a psychologist trained in these techniques.
Dr Lemoine agrees and even mentions a form of “ drug withdrawal “, because like the ” neuroleptics and other tranquilizers “, a good number of molecules “ tend to mask the reality of suffering and illness “. Antidepressants?
The psychiatrist is more nuanced: “ they are effective on anxiety disorders and severe depression,” he insists. “They should be administered if possible not for too long and in doses that are not too large “.
Identify and remove the cause
Drawing : ” if he has taken his sleep time to cope with tasks that he considers to be immense, we create a sleep and wakefulness diary with him. If he has suffered repeated humiliation, we switch to a legal part in conjunction with a labor lawyer. And to digest the trauma represented by these humiliations, we can carry out EMDR sessions* “.
If work organization issues arise, “ In particular, it is important to learn to fragment work, to know how to identify key moments of the day when we are most efficient.” But the psychiatrist does not deny that in certain cases, “ like people who work in logistics warehouses, with complex schedules, it can be difficult to intervene. Because we also come up against a socio-economic reality… » And to warn: “ if the person returns to work without the cause of their burnout having been removed, there is a high risk of relapse… »
* “This therapeutic approach aims to treat the consequences of psychological trauma by combining a mental recall by the patient of the traumatic memory and alternating bilateral sensory stimulations (with induced eye movements, for example by asking the patient to follow the movement of the therapist’s fingers or alternative tactile stimulations on the knees, or auditory stimulations). Eye movements practiced in this way should allow the reactivation of natural management of painful memories and the restoration of self-esteem,” according to the Inserm definition.
Sources: Interview with Dr Patrick Lemoine, May 24, 2024 – High Authority of Health, site consulted on May 27, 2024 – National Assembly, Information report from the Social Affairs Committee, February 15, 2017
