Burnout doesn’t happen overnight. It announces itself over weeks or months. Many people only go to the doctor when severe sleep disorders, unbearable pain or a total collapse force them to do so. These ten hidden warning signs will show you whether the stress level is too high and burnout is imminent.
Too much work, too few people – that leads to overwork and stress. Everyone is probably familiar with the request from overworked colleagues or bosses whether they could “just” do this or that. But “just for once” easily turns into a permanent additional task. Many people find it difficult to say no. “You don’t want to appear selfish,” says Mechthild Echterhoff, work and organizational psychologist at AOK. It’s also not easy to defend yourself against tactics such as flattery (“You’re so good at this”) and pressure (“If we don’t do this, the customer is gone”). According to the psychologist, three things could make it easier to say no:
Apps or online programs for the treatment of mild and moderate depression offer low-threshold help.
• One of the most established programs is Moodgym. Based on the concept of cognitive behavioral therapy, it was developed by scientists at the Australian National University and adapted for the German market with the help of the University of Leipzig and the AOK. You get started with a self-test. The aim of therapy is to recognize your own negative thought patterns and gradually transform them into positive thoughts and feelings. The program does not replace medical treatment, but just as regular visits to a fitness center strengthen the body, training in Moodgym can strengthen the soul.
• The Federal Institute for Drugs and Medical Devices (BfArM) has approved several apps for the treatment of depression and anxiety disorders in recent years. The costs for so-called DiGAs (digital health applications) are reimbursed by health insurance companies. An overview can be found at the BfArM.
Inpatient treatment of mental disorders comes into consideration when people are in a serious life crisis and can no longer cope with their everyday life in their usual environment. The waiting times for clinics with psychiatric and psychotherapeutic departments and rehabilitation clinics can be several weeks or months.
• The Qualitieskliniken.de portal, together with the University Hospital Hamburg-Eppendorf, surveyed more than 3,500 patients about their personal rehabilitation successes and thus rated clinics.
• The German Depression Aid has also compiled contact details for several hundred clinics.
• In the psychosomatics clinic finder you can search according to your own criteria to find a suitable clinic.
• If you are on the waiting list but are in an acute crisis, you should contact the treating doctor or psychotherapist, the nearest psychiatric clinic or the emergency doctor on 112. Telephone counseling can be reached around the clock and free of charge at : 0800/111 01 11 or 0800/111 02 22.
• The nationwide depression information telephone also directs those affected and their relatives to contact points: Tel. 0800/334 45 33. Office hours: Mon., Tues., Thurs.: 1 p.m. – 5 p.m., Wed., Fri.: 8.30 a.m. – 12.30 p.m Clock
• Young people up to 25 years of age can contact www.kritikenchat.de via WhatsApp and SMS for individual crisis advice. For those under 19, www.jugendnotmail.de offers advice via email and individual chat. Both services are free.
