The World Health Organization said on May 28 that “burnout” remains an “occupational phenomenon” that could lead someone to seek care but it is not considered a medical condition. 

• The clarification came a day after the WHO mistakenly said it had listed burnout in its International Classification of Diseases (ICD) for the first time. 

• While burnout was listed in the previous version, the ICD-10, its definition has been changed in the latest edition of the text. “The definition has been modified based on existing research”. 
• WHO has now defined burnout as “a syndrome conceptualised as resulting from chronic workplace stress that has not been successfully managed”. 
• It said the syndrome was characterised by: “1) feelings of energy depletion or exhaustion; 2) increased mental distance from one’s job, or feelings of negativism or cynicism related to one’s job; and 3) reduced professional efficacies.” 
• “Burn-out refers specifically to phenomena in the occupational context and should not be applied to describe experiences in other areas of life,” according to the definition. 

Source: WHO