Can stress and “burnout” lead to depression?

Research by City College of New York psychology Professor Irvin Schonfeld examined the overlap of burnout with depression. Features of depression were observed in 63% of the burned-out participants.

"The study suggests that the burnout- depression overlap has been largely underestimated," said Professor Schonfeld. "Atypical depression may account for a substantial part of this overlap. Overall, our findings point to depressive symptoms and depressive disorders as central concerns in the management of burnout. The clinical research on treatments for depression offers solutions that may help workers identified as burned out.”