Am I burned out or depressed?
Answered by the AskDoc Medical Team · Medically reviewed under our Medical Director, MBBS
They overlap but point differently. Burnout is situational: exhaustion, cynicism and detachment tied to work or caregiving, classically improving on real breaks and better with workload change.
Depression follows you everywhere: joylessness in things once loved, guilt, sleep and appetite shifts, and low mood that vacations do not touch. Burnout can slide into depression, and both can coexist.
The practical test: what happens two weeks away from the stressor? If nothing lifts, or if hopelessness and thoughts of not wanting to be here appear at any point, that is depression territory and it responds to treatment. Talking to a professional sorts this faster than self-diagnosis.
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