When Stress Becomes Something More: Distinguishing Burnout from Depression

Written by: Saghi Naghizadeh

Edited by: Chimara Anyanwu

Introduction

During many days of the past year I would wake up already exhausted, and eventually, there were more mornings like that than not. I used to be the kind of person who stayed on top of school, constantly showed up for other people, and pushed through stressful tasks without much complaint. However, gradually, everything started to feel heavier. Assignments that used to take an hour took four. Things that once helped me recharge started feeling like burdens. When people asked if I was okay, my response was, “I think I’m just burnt out”.

Burnout felt like a safer word because it sounded temporary, understandable, and even responsible. A more nuanced and loaded term like depression, on the other hand, felt heavier and harder to admit, even to myself. 

I kept framing my feelings and experiences as stress, assuming that rest or better time management would fix them. But at times, rest was not helpful. On many days with nothing scheduled, I still felt strangely drained and numb. I felt disconnected from the things I used to care about; I wasn’t just tired from school or work. That is when I started to question whether it was still burnout or something more.

Throughout the past few months, I realized that many other college students and professionals under constant pressure struggle with the same question. The words burnout and depression are often used interchangeably, especially among these demographics. However, while they look similar at first, they are not the same, and understanding the difference can determine whether someone needs a break, a change in the environment, or to seek professional mental health care.

Burnout

“Burnout is generally acknowledged by researchers, clinicians, and the public as a pervasive occupational difficulty” (Nadon et al., 2022).

American social psychologist, Christina Maslach, one of the leading researchers on burnout, describes this phenomenon as having three main components: emotional exhaustion, depersonalization or cynicism, and a reduced sense of personal accomplishment. Malasch’s 1981 study is widely regarded as the original empirical foundation as this three-component conceptualization of occupational burnout is still referenced in more contemporary research on burnout. 

Emotional Exhaustion	Depersonalization or Cynicism	Reduced Sense of Personal Accomplishment
Feeling drained Feeling depleted Unable to give any more	Becoming detached Becoming callous toward work, school, and/or the people involved Negative feelings and emotions	Feeling ineffective Feeling like nothing one does is impactful or makes a difference

Burnout is typically situational and environment-specific. For example, an individual might feel exhausted and cynical at work but still enjoy hobbies and time with family and friends. In this case, taking some time off or a change of environment is likely to improve symptoms.

Depression

Depression, specifically Major Depressive Disorder (MDD), is a medical mental health condition characterized by a cluster of emotional, cognitive, and physical symptoms that last at least two weeks and interfere with daily life. According to the American Psychiatric Association (APA), this condition can lead to various symptoms like changes in sleep, appetite, and energy levels, as well as the possibility of suicidal ideation or attempts. According to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5-TR), the core symptoms of Major Depressive Disorder include persistent sadness or emptiness and a loss of interest or pleasure in most activities, known as anhedonia.

Rest, vacation, or time away from work or school does not reliably resolve depression. Unlike burnout, depression is not limited to simply one area of life, like work or school. It tends to heavily affect mood, motivation, and functioning in many areas of life, including but not limited to work, school, relationships, home life, and personal hobbies or interests. In contrast to burnout, the roots of depression are not only situational but also biological, psychological, and social, which makes it quite difficult to point to a specific event as the cause.

Where Burnout and Depression Overlap

While burnout and depression are different, feeling chronically overwhelmed, cynical, and emotionally depleted due to burnout can often start to look and feel like a depressive episode. Ample research (e.g. Baka et al., 2025; Gu et al., 2024, Selskii et al., 2023; Osadnik et al., 2023; Baptista et al., 2022) shows that both can involve low energy, persistent fatigue, difficulty concentrating, irritability, withdrawal, and reduced motivation and productivity. These studies illustrate the presence of overlap in the core features between the two. However, it is important to note that this is a correlation, and not a proven causation.

Key Differences That Matter

The key differences between burnout and depression are in their scope of impact, core emotional experience, response to rest, and diagnostic status, as illustrated below.

When Burnout Turns Into Depression

As mentioned previously, while burnout and depression are different, if left unresolved, burnout can gradually increase the risk of developing depression. Chronic and unmanaged stress significantly affects sleep, hormone levels, immune function, and brain systems that are heavily involved in mood regulation. Prolonged feelings of inefficacy and emotional depletion, which are characteristics of burnout, can evolve into hopelessness and negative self-belief, which are symptoms of depression.

Long-term exposure to high job stress has been associated with a greater likelihood of developing depressive symptoms later on (Sardella et al., 2024; Shoman et al., 2024; Yu et al., 2024). While this overlap is quite common, it is important to note that not everyone with burnout will develop depression, but rather the risk rises when stress is intense and is combined with limited support, personal vulnerability, or a perceived lack of control over one’s situation.

It is beneficial to think of burnout as a warning zone. If it continues without relief, the emotional exhaustion and detachment can deepen into more pervasive mood, cognitive, and functional changes, which are often seen in depression.

The Importance of This Distinction

Mistaking burnout for depression, or vice versa, can delay one’s ability to receive the right kind of help.

If someone with depression assumes they are “just burnt out”, they may try to push through, take short breaks, or even keep blaming themselves for not being resilient enough. Meanwhile, symptoms like hopelessness, severe withdrawal, and even thoughts of self-harm and suicidal ideation may go unrecognized and untreated, which can be extremely harmful.

On the other hand, if every case of burnout is treated purely as an individual mental health issue, we run into the danger of ignoring systemic factors that cause burnout in the first place. Excessive workloads, lack of control, poor leadership, or emotionally demanding environments that lack support are not things that psychotherapy or medications alone can fix. 

Depression calls for clinical evaluation and evidence-based mental health care, while burnout calls for changes in workload, boundaries, and environment. Sometimes, both are necessary, for either a short or long duration, depending on the circumstance. Understanding the difference helps individuals and organizations respond appropriately.

Call to Action

Schools and workplaces must take burnout seriously as a preventable organizational issue, not a personal weakness. Reducing chronic overload and increasing vital support should not be viewed as luxuries, but rather, protective factors for mental health.

As a society, it is also important to move away from oversimplified labels. Statements like “I’m just burnt out” may often be a helpful starting point, but more individuals need to be open to asking deeper questions of themselves. Questions such as: Is this still stress from my environment, or is my mental health being negatively affected more broadly?

Acknowledging the similarities and differences between burnout and depression can be life-changing, and in some cases, life-saving. It could change not only how someone feels about their professional life, but also whether they get the care they need to feel like themselves again.

References

American Psychiatric Association. (2022). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (5th ed., text rev.; DSM-5-TR). American Psychiatric Association Publishing.

Baka, Ł., Prusik, M., & Grala, K. (2025). Burnout or depression? Investigating conceptual and empirical distinctions in a high-stress occupational group. Journal of Clinical Medicine, 14(12), 4036. https://doi.org/10.3390/jcm14124036

Baptista, M. N., Hauck-Filho, N., & Cardoso, H. F. (2022). The overlap between burnout and depression through a different lens: A multi-method study. Journal of Affective Disorders Reports, 10, Article 100437. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jadr.2022.100437

Gu, M., Wang, S., & Zhang, S. (2024). The interplay among burnout, and symptoms of depression, anxiety, and stress in Chinese clinical therapists. Nature Scientific Reports. https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-024-75550-7

Nadon, L., De Beer, L. T., & Morin, A. J. S. (2022). Should burnout be conceptualized as a mental disorder? Behavioral Sciences, 12(3), 82. https://doi.org/10.3390/bs12030082

Osadnik, C. R., & Hijazi, S. J. (2023). Association between anxiety, COVID, burnout and depression: A qualitative study of primary care clinicians’ perceptions of burnout. Journal of General Internal Medicine. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11606-023-08536-2

Sardella, A., Musetti, A., Franceschini, C. et al. Longitudinal associations of depression, anxiety, and stress among healthcare workers assisting patients with end-stage cancer during the COVID-19 pandemic: the moderator role of emotional exhaustion. BMC Psychol 12, 359 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1186/s40359-024-01851-1

Selskii, A. O., Zaidi, T. H., Ilyas, A., Khan, M., & Naz, R. (2023). Association of burnout, professional depression, and academic training among medical students. Russian Open Medical Journal, 12(4), e0104. https://doi.org/10.15275/rusomj.2023.0104

Shoman, Y., Ranjbar, S., Strippoli, M.P. (2023). Longitudinal association of exposure to work-related stress with major depressive disorder and the role of occupational burnout. Journal Name. PMID: 39215821. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/39215821/

Yu, S., Zhao, M., Li, Y. et al. The interaction of occupational stress and job burnout on depressive symptoms in railway workers in Fuzhou city. BMC Public Health 24, 1432 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-024-18902-22