Burnout Isn't New—We Just Have A Name For It Now

Forbes

9 hours ago

Dr. Sunil Kumar, Lifestyle Medicine Physician, Executive Health Coach & Burnout Reset Expert. Creator of the PREP™ Protocol.
We often talk about burnout as a modern affliction—a byproduct of inbox overload, back-to-back Zoom meetings and the culture of hustle. But the truth is, what we call "burnout" today has been part of the human experience for centuries. We've simply evolved in how we understand it and, unfortunately, in how widespread it's become.
Looking back through history reveals something surprising: Burnout is not a new problem. It's an old warning sign. A red flag from the body and mind that something vital is out of balance.
Burnout Before 'Burnout'
Long before it had a clinical label, people were breaking under pressure physically, emotionally and spiritually.
Ancient Greek physicians like Hippocrates spoke of "melancholia," a state of deep sadness and fatigue, often triggered by life's demands. During the Middle Ages, monks described a similar state called "acedia," a mix of apathy, exhaustion and meaninglessness that made even prayer feel burdensome.
In the late 1800s, American neurologist George Beard coined the term "neurasthenia," a diagnosis used for "modern nervousness." The symptoms were familiar: exhaustion, anxiety, irritability and a loss of motivation. It was often observed in professionals during the Industrial Revolution, especially those living in cities, working long hours and constantly "switched on." Sound familiar?
Though these terms fell out of fashion, the experience they described never went away.
A Word For What We Were Feeling
It wasn't until 1974 that the term "burnout" was formally introduced by Dr. Herbert Freudenberger, a New York psychologist. Working in a free clinic, he noticed a troubling trend among his colleagues and himself: once-passionate health workers becoming irritable, drained and detached. He described this state as "burning out," like a candle that had been lit too long.
Not long after, Christina Maslach, a social psychologist, took the concept further. Through years of research, she and her colleagues developed the Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI), identifying three core dimensions of burnout:
1. Emotional exhaustion
2. Depersonalization or cynicism
3. Reduced sense of personal accomplishment
Her work shifted burnout from a vague complaint to something measurable and, most importantly, something we could do something about.
From The Margins To The Mainstream
At first, burnout was mostly discussed in the context of "helping professions": doctors, nurses, teachers and social workers. But as global pressures grew, it became clear that burnout wasn't confined to a single industry.
In 2019, the World Health Organization recognized burnout in its International Classification of Diseases (ICD-11), defining it as a syndrome resulting from chronic workplace stress that has not been successfully managed.
That definition mattered. It finally acknowledged what millions had been feeling: Burnout is not about weakness but about systems that don't support the humans within them.
The Pandemic: A Global Burnout Test
If burnout was simmering before, Covid-19 brought it to a boil.
Healthcare workers faced relentless demands, often without adequate support. Parents juggled work, homeschooling and caregiving. Frontline employees risked their health to keep society functioning. Even those working from home found the boundary between personal and professional life erased.
A 2021 McKinsey report found that over a third of employees globally were experiencing burnout symptoms. The impact was especially severe for women and caregivers.
Burnout was no longer something individuals whispered about in corridors; it became a collective cry for help.
It's Not Just About Working Too Much
One of the most important shifts in understanding burnout is realizing it's not just about long hours.
As Maslach and Leiter emphasized in an influential 2008 study, burnout is more closely tied to mismatch when there's a gap between our values and our work, between effort and recognition, between what we give and what we receive.
Factors like lack of autonomy, chronic stress without relief, poor leadership or workplace culture, and feeling undervalued or isolated—these aren't fixed with a holiday or a yoga class. They require systemic change.
What History Teaches Us About Healing
History reminds us that burnout is not a passing trend; it's a recurring signal. And every generation has faced it in different forms.
But here's the difference: We now have better tools, data and awareness than ever before. From trauma-informed care and leadership training to lifestyle medicine and evidence-based well-being strategies, we have pathways forward if we choose to walk them.
Burnout is not a personal failure. It's often a rational response to an unsustainable situation.
As leaders, clinicians, educators and humans, we have a responsibility to create environments where people can thrive, not just survive. That starts with listening to the signals both in ourselves and in the systems we shape.
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