Discover the top signs of burnout for doctors and medical professionals. Also, find some useful tips on how to effectively manage stress.

Back in 2013, when beyondblue conducted a world first survey into the mental health of Australian doctors and medical students, they uncovered a higher level of job-related burnout than in any other profession. Their findings attracted plenty of media interest, because most people were surprised. Most people except medical professionals and their families, that is.

Three years later, the rates and severity of doctor burnout have got worse. The most vulnerable groups are critical care and emergency personnel, GPs, Indigenous and overseas-trained medical professionals, rural doctors and women. Not surprisingly, the greatest level of burnout is among interns and Residents, who often struggle when they transition to a demanding full-time work environment.

Why does it happen?

Everyone has different triggers, but most burnout is caused by a perfect storm of stressors. The worst culprit is constantly working long, high-intensity shifts that leave no room for life outside work. Other common complaints are being buried under paperwork and encountering pain, misery and death every day.

These circumstances can create a personal work environment where even the most dedicated doctor is exhausted, has no personal life, and loses confidence in their abilities. No wonder they feel like a cog in a massive wheel.

What should I look out for?

Whether it’s to help yourself, your colleagues or your patients, every medical professional should recognise the most common mental and emotional symptoms of burnout. The three accepted signs are:

1) Emotional exhaustion - Being emotionally overextended and exhausted

2) De-personalisation - lacking empathy towards patients, colleagues and managers

3) Personal accomplishment - feeling incompetent and a failure.

This cocktail of feelings results in an angry, detached and cynical doctor and can have a major impact on physical health in the form of endless colds, constant lethargy or substance abuse. If you experience some or all these symptoms, you could be burned out.

Can’t I just keep going?

Emphatically - no. As a doctor, it’s your duty to provide patients with the best possible level of healthcare. All the evidence shows that medical professionals with burnout are more likely to make mistakes, have dissatisfied patients, and experience relationship breakdowns at work and home. In extreme cases, they can contemplate suicide.

People react differently to burnout: some believe it has no impact on their life, others want to leave medicine. Wherever you are on the burnout scale, you should seek help for the good of yourself and others. Imagine you’re a patient with the same symptoms, and treat yourself accordingly.

So how do I avoid it - or manage it?

Get support. While burnout used to be something you were expected to cope with yourself, there is more awareness now and many health facilities regard it as a communal problem. So if you think you have, or might get, burnout, seek help from your colleagues and managers. You might be able to reduce your hours or access an employee assistance program.

Live healthily. You’re a doctor - you know the drill. Ditch the junk food, exercise regularly and get some balance in your life. And however busy you are, try not to skip lunch.

Be self-aware. Many doctors diagnose burnout symptoms in other people, but not themselves. Every so often, do a personal mental health check - maybe a Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI) evaluation - and be familiar with your stress-triggers.

Take control. If you think you’re heading for burnout, you probably feel you’ve lost control. Get it back by standing up for yourself and managing your work-life balance better. If your facility is short-staffed and you’re regularly rostered on to work day and night or asked to provide cover at short notice, get up the courage to say something to your manager. And make sure there is enough time to spend with your family, pursue a hobby or learn something new. Not having time to do these things is the number one reason for doctor burnout.