by Karon Brandt

Created on: January 02, 2010   Last Updated: January 03, 2010

Emotional burnout leads to physical burnout, like a car running out of gas. If a person hits bottom before attempting to help himself, returning to “normal” could take much longer.

Recognizing the symptoms of burnout are important for the individual and those who work/live/interact with him.

According to the famous psychologist, Dr. Joyce Brothers, people who help others on the front lines of tragedy often become overwhelmed themselves. From counselors to doctors to first responders, compassionate professionals and volunteers become victims of burnout, also called “vicarious trauma” or “compassion fatigue.” Caretakers will understand the term “the cost of caring,” military spouses speak of “the proximity effect,” and healthcare workers might speak of “secondhand shock” or “empathic strain.”

Whatever you call it, and whatever the cause, prevention is better than the cure because once the body has succumbed to overload, it is much harder to recover fully.

In fact, overstressed workers who suffer “burnout” will show multiple symptoms similar to post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) often diagnosed in war veterans. Dr. Brothers notes that burnout victims “suffer from nightmares or intrusive thoughts, sleeplessness or hypervigilance, [and] avoidance of the people whose stories have upset them.” Such people try to protect themselves by becoming “less compassionate” for their victims over time.

Burnout is not only suffered by compassionate caretakers, but it can also happen to those who deal with emotional suffering on a daily basis as in “banking, insurance-claim adjusting, veterinary medicine, employment agencies, journalism and caring for elderly parents.” (Brothers, 12-30-09.)

Dr. Brothers says there are trained individuals that recognize the potential for burnout for certain groups of people, and they offer seemingly-successful programs to them called “critical incident stress debriefing.” Trained leaders who work directly with traumatized people for days to weeks after a shared crisis can help workers cope again.

As stated earlier, prevention is better than a cure. People in high-stress jobs or compassionate-care situations or those who frequently deal with abuse or trauma must learn to recognize their own symptoms of burnout. Family members, friends, co-workers and other people who interact with such workers should

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