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I like how we use the word "burnout" in place of the word "depression". When you're depressed, even the things that you used to love doing become chores. Takin

I like how we use the word "burnout" in place of the word "depression". When you're depressed, even the things that you used to love doing become chores. Taking a vacation isn't the right answer to depression. You have to identify and attack the causes straight on. (Or find some drugs and idle the rest of your life away.)

wccrawford 15y ago
Burnout and depression are different, and have different causes. The right solution to a burnout really is a vacation most of the time. Depression is different and a vacation is not the answer. A psychologist/psychiatrist is the answer.
- _delirium 15y ago
  One strong indicator of the difference (note: I'm not a psychologist, and this is a bit oversimplifying) is how localized the 'depression' is. Burnout tends to be very work-localized, whereas clinical depression tends to be more pervasive: if you still find lots of joy in your hobbies and personal relationships, then it's probably not depression.
  - sliverstorm 15y ago
    Burnout can ripple into other areas of your life if it's severe enough. Put another way, I wouldn't be surprised if extreme burnout naturally progressed to mild depression.
dailyrorschach 15y ago
I have to take issue with your last statement: "(Or find some drugs and idle the rest of your life away.)" We could likely agree that over-prescription is a problem, as is people not willing to make change or enter psychotherapy. But some people even with all of that require medication and care - there's a reason why ECT therapy is still used, for some people it's the only relief.
- praeclarum 15y ago
  Yes, I take exception to my statement also. I did not actually mean anti-depressives, I was thinking of harder stuff: cocaine, heroine, meth. Very poorly worded on my part.
ebiester 15y ago
I've had both. They're different. One can lead to the other, but there's nothing scarier than looking at a screen and realizing you're incapable of programming past a basic loop.
decklin 15y ago
I take issue with your last statement as well. Anyone can idle their life away. For many depressed people (at least myself), changing their broken neurochemistry with drugs, ECT or both is a necessary but not sufficient condition to identifying and attacking the causes of their symptoms. It's not an either-or choice, and despite lingering stereotypes that your statement seems to imply, no kind of clinical treatment (even ECT!) is intended to just numb you to those symptoms.
niels_olson 15y ago
doc here. Burnout != depression. I appreciate you're trying to understand the difference, and I'm glad you've thought about it a bit. Please read http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dunning-Kruger_effect http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dunning-Kruger_effect, and I encourage you to keep reading on your own and try to ask more questions.
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wccrawford 15y ago

Burnout and depression are different, and have different causes. The right solution to a burnout really is a vacation most of the time. Depression is different and a vacation is not the answer. A psychologist/psychiatrist is the answer.

_delirium 15y ago
One strong indicator of the difference (note: I'm not a psychologist, and this is a bit oversimplifying) is how localized the 'depression' is. Burnout tends to be very work-localized, whereas clinical depression tends to be more pervasive: if you still find lots of joy in your hobbies and personal relationships, then it's probably not depression.
- sliverstorm 15y ago
  Burnout can ripple into other areas of your life if it's severe enough. Put another way, I wouldn't be surprised if extreme burnout naturally progressed to mild depression.

dailyrorschach 15y ago

I have to take issue with your last statement: "(Or find some drugs and idle the rest of your life away.)" We could likely agree that over-prescription is a problem, as is people not willing to make change or enter psychotherapy. But some people even with all of that require medication and care - there's a reason why ECT therapy is still used, for some people it's the only relief.

praeclarum 15y ago
Yes, I take exception to my statement also. I did not actually mean anti-depressives, I was thinking of harder stuff: cocaine, heroine, meth. Very poorly worded on my part.

ebiester 15y ago

I've had both. They're different. One can lead to the other, but there's nothing scarier than looking at a screen and realizing you're incapable of programming past a basic loop.

decklin 15y ago

I take issue with your last statement as well. Anyone can idle their life away. For many depressed people (at least myself), changing their broken neurochemistry with drugs, ECT or both is a necessary but not sufficient condition to identifying and attacking the causes of their symptoms. It's not an either-or choice, and despite lingering stereotypes that your statement seems to imply, no kind of clinical treatment (even ECT!) is intended to just numb you to those symptoms.

niels_olson 15y ago

doc here. Burnout != depression. I appreciate you're trying to understand the difference, and I'm glad you've thought about it a bit. Please read http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dunning-Kruger_effect http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dunning-Kruger_effect, and I encourage you to keep reading on your own and try to ask more questions.

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