Various studies show that about 15 percent of working people suffer from anxiety disorders, depression or burnout symptoms. Arne Kresin, a specialist in psychosomatic medicine and psychotherapy as well as a specialist in psychiatry and psychotherapy, provides information about triggers, treatment options and perspectives.
Arne Kresin: There are, of course, many different causes. Pressure to perform, flexible working hours, constant availability and also insufficient leadership qualities on the part of superiors put employees in the modern working world under extreme pressure. A seemingly insoluble discrepancy arises between one's own demands and those of the environment. This is precisely where both medicine and business are needed. In some large companies, including Daimler and Siemens, for example, a rethink is now taking place. They have recognized that productivity can only be ensured if employees are and remain healthy and motivated. As an expert in stress-related illnesses, I support such ambitions. Individually tailored preventive programs and on-site training can help managers and employees create a work environment that doesn't overwhelm, avoids unnecessary stress and, most importantly, where everyone looks out for each other.
What is the treatment of burnout or similar symptoms all about?
Arne Kresin: What we call "burnout" in Germany is often treated with medication. In traditional Chinese medicine, it is called "empty fire" and is regarded as a catastrophe - which this burnout actually is for the person affected. So the question is: How can I find more peace, more inner strength? How do I find a channel in which I can get a grip on this personal catastrophe? How can that work in practice? Arne Kresin: It is important to pick up everyone where they are and to meet each patient at eye level. Each patient knows best what is good for him or her. I listen very carefully to what the patient expects from me and his therapy. Only then do I decide: What exactly does this person need? Exercise therapy, psychological counseling or, in this particular case, something else entirely? Means: The therapist brings in his knowledge, the patient his know-how about his own body. This creates the best conditions for the patient to find his or her own individual path for the time after the stay. After all, this will lead them back to their own personal social and professional context.
What do you give patients to take with them when they are discharged?
Arne Kresin: I think it's a great pity that society still stigmatizes mental illness as a weakness. This taboo ultimately leads to many sufferers not seeking treatment in the first place. Those who do leave the clinic, however, have summoned up the courage to accept help. We are all aware that it is very difficult to consistently transfer what is learned in therapy in a few weeks to everyday life. It is also clear that, just as chronically ill people need therapy throughout their lives, burnout patients need to pay attention to their mental stability from now on. I always point this out to patients: The path is not complete, a relapse is possible at any time. Those affected have, so to speak, only just negotiated the curve during treatment, and now a long stretch follows - until the next curve approaches. Thus, the self-therapy begins with the completion of the therapy, because the professional as well as private environment will continue to expect a lot from one. The real art then is to implement changes and keep the energy up. Our instincts are usually of no help here. But what everyone can do: simply look a little more consciously in all areas of life.