[Calling it "Burnout" Instead of "Depression" - A Strategy to Avoid Stigma?]

Abstract

Objective: To find out to what extent the German public uses the term "burnout" to label a depressive episode, and to examine how this label relates to stigmatizing attitudes and treatment recommendations.

Methods: Representative population surveys in Germany 2001 (n = 5025) and 2011 (n = 3642), using unlabeled case vignettes of mental disorders.

Results: Labeling a depressive episode "burnout" increased from 0.3 % in 2001 to 10.2 % in 2011. Schizophrenia and alcohol dependence were labeled "burnout" far less frequently. Compared to the label "depression", "burnout" was associated with less desire for social distance, but also with less recommendation of psychotherapy, medication, and seeing a psychiatrist.

Conclusion: While provoking less desire for social distance than "depression", using the label "burnout" carries the risk of increasing the proportion of untreated depressive episodes.