[Kok! Health] Burnout Syndrome, Don't Take It Lightly... "Increased Suicide Risk"

A medical study has found that burnout syndrome, commonly experienced by office workers, can increase the risk of suicide.

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According to Gangbuk Samsung Hospital, burnout is characterized by exhaustion due to physical and emotional energy depletion, a cynical attitude toward work and the workplace, and a decrease in professional efficacy. It is also a major clinical syndrome listed in the International Classification of Diseases by the World Health Organization (WHO). Chronic exposure to job stress can lead to burnout, which has recently been recognized as a factor that can increase the risk of suicide among office workers.

In response, a research team led by Professor Oh Dae-jong from the Corporate Mental Health Research Institute at Gangbuk Samsung Hospital, along with Professors Jeon Sang-won and Jo Sung-joon from the Department of Psychiatry, investigated whether there is a significant association between burnout and suicidal ideation among workers in various occupational groups. While previous studies targeting healthcare workers have shown that burnout can increase suicide risk, it had not been established whether burnout similarly increases suicide risk in other professions.

The research team conducted self-reported surveys on more than 13,000 workers from diverse fields such as manufacturing, finance, services, distribution, construction, and public administration who used workplace mental health promotion services between 2020 and 2022, examining the presence of burnout and suicidal ideation.

The study found that the risk of suicidal ideation among workers experiencing physical and emotional exhaustion, a symptom of burnout, increased by 36% in workers with depression and by 77% in workers without depression. Among exhausted workers, those who could not control their own tasks or who worked in an unfriendly workplace atmosphere showed an even higher risk of suicidal ideation.

Professor Oh Dae-jong of the Corporate Mental Health Research Institute at Gangbuk Samsung Hospital advised, "For workers whose physical and mental energy is depleted, it is important to closely monitor the increase in suicide risk regardless of the presence of depression."

He added, "This study is significant as the first large-scale cross-sectional study confirming the association between burnout, depression, and suicidal ideation across various occupational groups. It may provide direction for future suicide prevention policies targeting the productive population."

Meanwhile, this study was published in the September 2023 issue of the journal Frontiers in Public Health.