According to the World Health Organization (WHO), occupational burnout is a syndrome resulting from chronic work-related stress, with symptoms characterized by "feelings of energy depletion or exhaustion; increased mental distance from one’s job, or feelings of negativism or cynicism related to ones job; and reduced professional efficacy". While burnout may influence health and can be a reason for people contacting health services, it is not itself classified by the WHO as a medical condition or mental disorder. WHO additional states that "Burn-out refers specifically to phenomena in the occupational context and should not be applied to describe experiences in other areas of life." History
According to Wolfgang Kaskcha, "Burnout as a phenomenon has probably existed at all times and in all cultures." He notes that the condition is described in the Book of Exodus. Gordon Parker believes the ancient European concept of acedia refers to burnout, and not depression as many others believe.It has been suggested that the first printed use of the term "burnout" in English was in one of Shakespeares sonnets in 1599, referring to a womans love burning out. The sonnet in question is one of Shakespeares most famous. In 1869, New York neurologist George Beard used the term "neurasthenia" to describe a very broad condition caused by the exhaustion of the nervous system, which was thought to be particularly found in "civilized, intellectual communities." The concept soon became popular, and many in the United States believed themselves to have it. Some came to call it "Americanitis".
This condition is classified under "Problems associated with employment or unemployment" in the section on "Factors influencing health status or contact with health services." The section is devoted to reasons other than recognized diseases or health conditions for which people contact health services. In a statement made in May 2019, the WHO said "Burn-out is included in the 11th Revision of the International Classification of Diseases (ICD-11) as an occupational phenomenon. It is not classified as a medical condition. "The ICDs browser and coding tool both attach the term "caregiver burnout" to category "QF27 Difficulty or need for assistance at home and no other household member able to render care." QF27 thus acknowledges that burnout can occur outside the work context. The ICD-11 also has the medical condition "6B4Y Other specified disorders specifically associated with stress", which is the equivalent of the ICD-10s F43.8. If, after treatment, a person with burnout continues to have persistent physical symptoms triggered by the condition, in Iceland they may be considered to have "somatic symptom disorder" (DSM-5) and "bodily distress disorder" (ICD-11).Further detail about the varied ways clinicians and others use ICD and DSM classification with burnout was published by Arno Van Dam in 2021.The US governments National Institutes of Health includes the condition as "psychological burnout" in its index of the National Library of Medicine, and provides a number of synonyms.