Psychiatrist Prof. Dr. Nevzat Tarhan stated that individuals who experience burnout syndrome were raised in an overprotective manner during their childhood, adding, “Burnout syndrome is more frequently observed in individuals who generally cannot tolerate hardship, cannot keep up with a high pace, are fond of comfort, are accustomed to obtaining everything easily, and have not encountered difficulties since childhood.”
Prof. Dr. Tarhan, stating that individuals who can successfully manage stress do not experience burnout syndrome, added, “Individuals who can manage to be flexible and possess mental flexibility do not fall into burnout syndrome.”
Üsküdar Üniversitesi Founding Rector, Psychiatrist Prof. Dr. Nevzat Tarhan, evaluated the issue of burnout syndrome.
A state of depression emerges in burnout syndrome
Prof. Dr. Nevzat Tarhan noted that burnout syndrome is one of the subgroups of depression, stating, “Burnout syndrome, unlike depression, is a condition where its cause is known. While the cause in depression usually cannot be explained by a single factor, burnout syndrome is generally a state of depression that arises as a result of a person being subjected to excessive stress (such as work stress, internal stress, externally sourced stress) and being unable to manage this stress. The person feels exhausted. This condition is accompanied by energy loss, fatigue, and lack of motivation. The person constantly feels inadequate because they cannot meet their ideals, goals, and expectations. This feeling of inadequacy increases depression, and the person enters a vicious cycle. The progression of burnout syndrome can turn into chronic fatigue syndrome. In chronic fatigue syndrome, liver function slows down, the immune system weakens, and the person finds it difficult to perform even daily activities.”
It’s not stress that makes a person sick, but their response to stress!
Prof. Dr. Tarhan, stating that some of the eight main symptoms of depression are more dominant in burnout syndrome, continued:
“Two of these symptoms are fundamental. The first is a depressive mood in which the person experiences feelings of grief, sorrow, and sadness; the second is a decrease in interest and energy, meaning a diminished interest in life, beauty, and positive things, and a feeling of inability to enjoy anything. After these feelings, forgetfulness begins, thought flow slows down, and mental energy decreases. The person slows down when making decisions about events and feels as energetic as an 80-year-old, despite being 30. Sleep patterns are disrupted; some individuals experience excessive sleepiness, while others suffer from insomnia. Appetite is also disturbed; some individuals develop emotional hunger and an tendency to overeat, while others experience a cessation of eating and drinking and a state of collapse. The main problem in burnout syndrome is a decrease in energy. While negative thoughts are common in depression, feelings of inadequacy (negative thoughts such as 'I can't do it,' 'I won't be able to') are more prominent in burnout syndrome. In fact, what makes a person sick is not stress, but their response to stress. Burnout syndrome does not occur in every profession. There are two professions where burnout syndrome is very common: healthcare workers and educators. It also exists in acting.”
It is observed in individuals who were raised in an overprotective manner during their childhood
Prof. Dr. Nevzat Tarhan stated that burnout syndrome is known to be related to work intensity, work stress, and high expectations, adding, “However, despite many employees being unable to meet expectations, this situation does not lead to burnout syndrome in everyone. Generally, burnout syndrome is more frequently observed in individuals who cannot tolerate hardship, cannot keep up with a high pace, are fond of comfort, are accustomed to obtaining everything easily, and have not encountered difficulties since childhood. When we look at individuals who experience burnout syndrome, we see that they were raised in an overprotective manner during their childhood.”
The real victory is standing tall against stress
Prof. Dr. Tarhan explained that individuals who do not seek challenges, are not combative, and do not like risk suddenly feel inadequate, saying, “I can't do it,” when they enter an intense pace. “Perhaps at that moment, that situation could have turned into an opportunity for the person. They could have overcome the situation by focusing on the question 'How do I do this?' However, by saying 'I can't do it,' an excessive mental conditioning has formed, and they have given up. The real victory in life is not being successful. The real victory is standing tall against stress. It is about achieving this. Such individuals do not experience burnout syndrome. It does not happen to a person with a passionate project. That person does not heed fatigue or anything. They can stay awake for days. The person has an ideal worth getting tired for. Individuals with a high ideal do not easily fall into burnout syndrome.”
Shrink stress with a smile!
Prof. Dr. Tarhan cited Nobel laureate psychiatrist Eric Kandel, who is over 90 years old and a dynamic teacher, as an example, stating that Kandel expressed the secret to being energetic in old age as ‘looking at the good side of everything.’
Emphasizing the role of stress management and brain chemistry in burnout syndrome, Prof. Dr. Tarhan stated that stress shrinks when laughed at, and grows when feared, that the situation worsens with a negative outlook the moment a person says “I can't do it,” and that burnout syndrome is a manageable condition, but after a certain point, brain chemistry deteriorates, and methods such as drug treatments or magnetic stimulation therapies may be needed.
Prof. Dr. Tarhan stated that brain chemistry should be corrected with drug and neuromodulation therapies, because when the infrastructure in the brain improves, the ability to solve problems will be regained, and full recovery will only be possible by treating the biological dimension, adding, “We cannot achieve full treatment without treating the biological dimension of burnout syndrome.”
Those who can manage their stress do not burn out!
Prof. Dr. Tarhan stated that burnout syndrome is more frequently observed in individuals with high expectation levels, adding, “Those who have high expectations from life give up and surrender to burnout when they cannot meet these expectations. These individuals act as if they have accepted defeat. Those with unrealistic goals above their own level and high expectations are more easily prone to disappointment, and these disappointments make them depressed. In fact, being unable to manage stress is also part of burnout syndrome. Individuals who can successfully manage stress do not experience burnout syndrome.”
The first of the personality types prone to burnout syndrome are Type A personalities!
Prof. Dr. Tarhan, stating that the first of the personality types prone to burnout syndrome are Type A personalities, and these individuals are generally complainers and perfectionists, added, “Type A individuals absorb everything like a sponge and collapse, constantly complain, and always see the negative aspects of events. They wear themselves out by dwelling extensively even on a problem that could be solved quickly. Their brains constantly work as if they are in a state of war. In individuals under long-term stress, the brain begins to produce slow waves, such as delta waves, because signal flow slows down. This causes the brain to function as if asleep, making the person feel devoid of energy, weak, and feeble.”
Type C individuals are also doomed to be alone in later stages of their lives
Prof. Dr. Tarhan, stating that another personality type is Type C individuals, continued as follows:
“These individuals are devoid of sympathy and self-serving. They evaluate every event according to their own interests, see themselves as special, important, and superior, and believe that everyone should serve them. These individuals are also referred to as ‘Teflon pans.’ However, Teflon pans have a limited lifespan; once the Teflon coating peels off, they become useless. Type C individuals are also doomed to be alone in later stages of their lives. When they are alone, instead of blaming themselves, they blame others.”
Flexible individuals do not experience burnout syndrome
Prof. Dr. Tarhan also stated that the feeling of gratitude helps the brain secrete happiness hormones, adding, “There are also Type B individuals who have ideals. Type B individuals are like ‘rubber’ that can stretch and return to their original state in the face of events. They are elastic and have cognitive flexibility; they are not stubborn. Individuals who can manage to be flexible and possess mental flexibility do not fall into burnout syndrome. Even if they have genetic predispositions, their brains can easily balance serotonin and dopamine levels because they manage stress.”
Prof. Dr. Tarhan stated that there are three main pillars of social capital in human relationships: communication styles, problem-solving styles, and stress management styles, adding, “In individuals experiencing burnout syndrome, negativity is generally observed in all three of these areas. They write negative scenarios and always look at the dark side.”
In life, there are all kinds of events, bitter and sweet!
Prof. Dr. Tarhan, stating that there are all kinds of events in life, bitter and sweet, added, “However, how you shape your life depends on which of these events you choose to move forward with. This is why keeping the feeling of hope high and being able to find something positive, a solution, in every event is the fundamental strategy of the science of happiness. Having a positive emotional state, being able to communicate positively, showing resilience, fortitude, and perseverance are important elements of this strategy.”
The biggest enemies on the path to success are laziness, selfishness, and seeking easiness!
Prof. Dr. Tarhan emphasized that a smart person is one who thinks strategically and thinks long-term, stating, “A person who only thinks about today is not smart. If you are human, you will have a future vision, you will think long-term, and you will have meaning and purpose. If you have a meaning and purpose worth tiring yourself for and putting effort into, you will develop the ability to endure those difficulties. You will develop your social and emotional skills in life and progress on your path. Our biggest enemies on the path to success are our laziness, our selfishness, and our tendency to seek easiness.”
If we don't know our own limits, we enter the role of burnout
Prof. Dr. Tarhan noted that the most important factor in burnout syndrome is a high level of negative emotions, stating, “We cannot control everything and manage everything. If we do not know our own limits and boundaries, we become helpless and fall into the role of burnout. However, there are things that a person can change and cannot change. There are things within our power and beyond our power, things we can control and cannot control. Here, we must use our intelligence to determine these limits. If we cannot control something, we must take the right position regarding it. Evils, problems, and stress will always exist. The important thing is to reach our goal by taking the right position against them. By enduring difficulties, we can stand tall like a long-lived plane tree.”
Ambition and the desire for easy gains lead to traps!
Regarding whether the realities reflected in social media lead people to burnout, Prof. Dr. Tarhan said, “Social media offers us a fake world, a fake reality, and a virtual environment. This situation can be shown as one of the reasons for the increase in scams and games like cyber gambling. Because people want to achieve success the easy way, with excessive ambition, and they fall into such traps. In many pleasures in life, it is necessary to succeed in giving up when necessary. When a person cannot give up, they become prone to depression and burnout syndrome.”
Disciplining ourselves is a remedy for loneliness for humans…
Prof. Dr. Tarhan also touched upon the issue of “crowded loneliness,” stating, “The selection of the phrase ‘crowded loneliness’ in a vote participated by over 1 million people by the Turkish Language Association was quite a striking result for a society like Turkey, where warm and close relationships are experienced, and impromptu visits are common. This situation shows that the global pandemic has also reflected on us. Being alone in a crowd means not being happy. Because humans are relational and social beings, they feel bad and unhappy when they are alone. Solitary confinement for more than 15 days in prison is considered torture by Amnesty International. Staying in such an environment for such a long time creates a schizophrenic effect and damages mental health. However, there are some people who experience chosen loneliness and are happy with this situation. Disciplining ourselves is a remedy for loneliness for humans. This is called chosen loneliness. This, of course, is the highest level of wisdom.” He concluded his words.