Burnout classified as “occupational phenomenon” by the International Classification of Diseases

28 MAY 2019 – The 11th Revision of the International Classification of Diseases (ICD-11) has included classified ‘burnout’ as an occupational phenomenon, not as a medical condition.

ICD-11 describes occupational phenomena as: ‘Factors influencing health status or contact with health services.’ In other words, a person may contact health services if suffering from burnout, but it will not be classed as an illness or health condition.

Burnout is defined in ICD-11 as follows:

“Burnout is a syndrome conceptualised as resulting from chronic workplace stress that has not been successfully managed. It is characterized by three dimensions:

• 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.

Burnout refers specifically to phenomena in the occupational context and should not be applied to describe experiences in other areas of life.”

Burnout was also included in ICD-10, in the same category as in ICD-11, but the definition is now more detailed.

The World Health Organization is about to embark on the development of evidence-based guidelines on mental well-being in the workplace.