CHICAGO: Some mental health and care workers find it difficult to recognize their own burnout and even when they do they struggle to admit it to others, says a study.

A total of fifty-five mental health and care workers (mental health nurses, psychologists, mental health occupational therapists, social workers, psychiatrists and counselors) wrote about their experiences in a qualitative questionnaire on their beliefs, attitudes and perceptions about burnout and how these might impact their wellbeing at work. Additionally, twelve participants were interviewed in-depth.

Participants were predominantly older female workers with 60 per cent aged 40 and over, including 33 per cent of these aged over 50.

Analysis showed that many reported suffering burnout and they felt weaker or less capable employees because of this. Some also reported that even when they recognized their burnout, they tended to blame themselves and had a difficult time disclosing it to others for fear of being judged negatively…

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