Duration of the treatment
The treatment of a burnout has a different duration depending on the patient. The duration of burnout treatment depends not only on the severity of the burnout, but also on the patient’s willingness to cooperate (compliance) and remaining capacities (resilience). In addition, each patient responds differently to the treatment of burnout and the duration of the treatment depends on whether the patient can fully engage in the therapy and whether the chosen type of therapy is right for him.
In general, however, one can say that the duration of a burnout treatment is about 6 to 12 months. However, this refers to the time in which the patient is fully recovered and has regained all his capacities, i.e. virtually a 100% recovery. After only a few weeks, however, small successes can be noted, which can also provide information about how long the treatment will continue and how well the patient responds to the chosen treatment. Nevertheless, the patient should be aware that burnout only occurs when all the body’s resources have been used up. It takes a certain amount of time until these are rebuilt and the duration of the burnout treatment, which can last from half a year to a whole year, is certainly not too high.
Drugs
In the treatment of burnout, drugs, psychotherapy and behavioral therapy are used. All together result in an adequate treatment of the burnout syndrome and it is important to consider all three as equal pillars on which the treatment of burnout is based. A therapy with medication alone is not indicated for burnout, because the patient’s behaviour has to change in order to get out of the burnout phase.
Nevertheless, drugs are important as a pillar of burnout therapy and can support and give sufficient strength to the patient, especially in the difficult initial phase of therapy. However, if a patient does not want to take medication to treat burnout, he or she can continue the therapy even without the medication. In some patients, however, the burnout has progressed so far that they do not find the drive to start a therapy for the burnout syndrome at all without medication.
It is important to know that the medication does not have to be taken permanently, but rather serves as a springboard out of the depressive mood. Once the severe initial phase is over and the patient feels physically and mentally more stable again, the medication can be slowly discontinued, i.e. phased out. However, since many patients suffer from depressive moods or even a pronounced depression due to burnout, it is important not to ignore them, but to use medication against them.
In addition to the herbal remedy St. John’s wort, there are also synthetic drugs that can raise the depressive mood and thus enable the patient to start the therapy. Very popular drugs in the therapy of burnout are so-called selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, SSRIs for short. These drugs ensure that increased serotonin remains between the nerve cells (synapses).
Serotonin is a messenger substance (neurotransmitter) which can ensure that we become happier and have more drive. Many patients with depressive moods have too little serotonin and therefore too few messengers to make them happy. By taking SSRI, the patient feels a lift in mood and increased drive, which is why the drug is often used in the treatment of burnout to help the patient out of his depressive phase.
Theoretically, other mild antidepressants can also be used, such as amitryptiline, but SSRIs show the least side effects, have no addictive potential and are therefore best suited for short-term treatment of burnout. Nevertheless, it should be reiterated that the sole administration of drugs cannot be an adequate therapy for burnout, but should only help the patient in the initial phase to regain strength and start further therapy.
