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THIRTY EIGHT BIOMARKERS FAILED TO IDENTIFY BURNOUT
Researchers Have Searched For A Physical Marker Of Burnout
Cortisol Was The Most Tested Candidate
A 2011 Review Went Through Thirty One Studies
Thirty Eight Different Biomarkers Appeared Across Them
None Separated Burnout From Health Reliably
That Is Still True Today
Brain Imaging Studies Exist And Are Small
This Part Covers What The Biology Supports
THIS NEWSLETTER IS FOR INFORMATIONAL PURPOSES ONLY. NOTHING IN THIS CONTENT CONSTITUTES MEDICAL, PSYCHOLOGICAL, OR PROFESSIONAL ADVICE. ALWAYS CONSULT A QUALIFIED HEALTHCARE PROFESSIONAL BEFORE MAKING ANY HEALTH RELATED DECISIONS.
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OKAY BACK FROM THE BLOOD DRAW 🩸
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INSIDE THE BLOOD WORK 🧫
Marie Danhof Pont Led The Review In 2011
The Journal Of Psychosomatic Research Published It
Thirty One Studies Compared Burnout Against Controls
The Biomarkers Spanned Seven Body Systems
Cortisol In Saliva And Blood Was Among Them
Blood Pressure And Heart Rate Were Measured
Cholesterol And Natural Killer Cells Were Tested
Prolactin And C Reactive Protein Are There Too
Only Some Had Three Studies Behind Them
Pooling The Results Was Possible For Those
The Cortisol Awakening Response Showed No Difference
Cortisol In Blood Showed No Difference Either
Blood Pressure Produced Nothing Separating The Groups
The Authors Reported No Potential Biomarkers
Studies Were Too Different To Compare Directly
Patients Were Characterized Differently In Each One
Burnout Itself Was Defined Differently Too
Later Work Has Not Overturned The Finding
Some Samples Show Raised Cortisol
Others Show Cortisol Below Normal
The Pooled Result Comes Out Null
No Blood Test Exists For Burnout
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THE DEPRESSION QUESTION 🧩
Burnout And Depression Were Meant To Be Distinct
Exhaustion Is The Feature Most Agreed Upon
Renzo Bianchi Has Tested Whether It Separates
Irvin Schonfeld And Eric Laurent Worked The Same Question
All Three Published In Clinical Psychology Review In 2015
Factor Analyses Kept Producing The Same Result
Exhaustion Correlates More Strongly With Depression
Cynicism And Inefficacy Correlate With It Less
A Later Study Pooled Fourteen Samples
More Than Twelve Thousand People Were Included
The Exhaustion And Depression Link Stayed Problematic
Discriminant Validity Is The Term For That Failure
Two Measures Should Not Track Each Other That Closely
Burnout Showed No Syndromal Unity In Those Analyses
Some Researchers Now Describe Occupational Depression
Others Defend Burnout As A Separate Construct
That Argument Has Not Been Settled
Clinicians Are Advised To Assess Depression Directly
Someone Reporting Burnout May Meet Depression Criteria
Treatment Differs Depending On Which One Applies
A Questionnaire Score Cannot Make That Call
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WHAT THE RESEARCH CAN SHOW 🌱
Structural Imaging Studies Of Burnout Do Exist
Ivanka Savic Published One In 2015
It Appeared In The Journal Cerebral Cortex
Forty Stressed Workers Were Matched Against Forty Controls
Their Frontal Cortex Measured Thinner
Amygdala Volume Was Larger On Both Sides
Caudate Volume Was Smaller
A Single Scan Cannot Show Which Came First
Nothing There Works As A Diagnostic Test
Longer Term Studies Follow Patients Over Years
Swedish Researchers Tracked One Hundred Seven Patients
All Of Them Completed A Rehabilitation Program
Follow Up Ran Ten Years Afterward
Thirty One Percent Of Those Still Working Reported Exhaustion
Moderate Or Severe Insomnia Affected Twenty Two Percent
Seventy Three Percent Had Changed Workplace
Only Ten Had Their Work Tasks Adapted
Work Functioning Scored Moderate On Every Measure
What Helps Has Been Tested Directly
A 2017 Analysis Compared Two Kinds Of Intervention
Organization Directed Programs Reduced Exhaustion More
Physician Directed Programs Produced Only Small Gains
Changing The Job Worked Better Than Changing The Person
