Burn-out isn't just 'psychobabble' anymore

Doctors debated burnout for 45 years. Now, they say it's real.

I’m Bill Murphy Jr. Welcome to Understandably (formerly “The Byliner”), my new regularly published email about the “story behind other stories.” Please consider subscribing!

We all have tough days at work sometimes. We all have stretches where we feel burned out, and we wonder if there isn't something better we could be doing with our lives.

For most of us, I hope, those thoughts are fleeting -- or else if they're not, I hope you're able to summon the courage, make a plan, and make a big change.

But if the feelings persist, according to the World Health Organization's newest guidelines, the problem with your work might not be you. Instead, the blame might fall squarely on your work.

New medical condition: 'Burn-out'

In its latest International Classification of Diseases (ICD-11), presented last week, the WHO added a new syndrome: "burn-out" (they include the hyphen).

I think the symptoms ("dimensions") are going to sound familiar to a lot of people. The controversy over this idea has gone o…