People who are in charge of caring for a person or other people sometimes find themselves in a state of extreme mental and physical fatigue, which is called caregiver burnout. In this article, we examine the symptoms of this problem.

Caregiver burnout symptoms

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Who is a caregiver?

There are people who take care of sick and needy people. Sometimes a caregiver is someone who cares for a friend or family member who is elderly or disabled, sick or disabled and helps them meet their needs.

Feeding the caregiver, walking, bathing, and providing medication are among the tasks of the caregiver.

It is true that caring for the person you love will make you happy, but repetition of actions will cause severe burnout and fatigue, and will take you away from healthy social relationships. The caregiver’s life will also have negative and unpleasant effects.

What does caregiver burnout mean?

The caregiver becomes so engrossed in his or her supportive role that it causes extreme physical and mental fatigue and exhaustion, a fatigue caused by the stress and anxiety of caring for the person he or she loves. Eventually, these stresses and fatigue cause the caregiver to forget to take care of themselves, to feel alone and helpless, or to think that they are useless in caring for the sick person. Almost everyone who is a Caregiver will reach this stage of erosion and fatigue. This condition will also cause them depression and lack of motivation in caring for the patient. Reaching this stage will be detrimental to both the caregiver and the patient

Signs and symptoms of caregiver burnout

Caregiver burnout symptoms

By being aware of the symptoms of this stage, you can be alert to save yourself or other members of the care team from reaching the harmful stage of burnout. Signs and symptoms of caregiver burnout include:

Following this stage, the caregiver can also experience physical signs and symptoms, such as:

The psychological problems created are:

Ignoring your needs and getting angry quickly is one of the negative behaviors that occur in the burnout phase of the caregiver.

Sometimes the caregiver engages in drug abuse or excessive alcohol consumption to avoid the symptoms of this stage. Drug abuse can be extremely dangerous for the person being cared for. Caregivers who engage in high-risk behaviors such as drug and alcohol abuse should prohibit the care of the disabled and sick person.

What is compassion fatigue?

As the caregiver wears out, the ability to empathize with the caregiver and others is lost.

The following symptoms occur at this stage:

In these cases, it is best to see a medical team, psychiatrist or psychologist.

Diagnosis:

Physician or specialist team with detailed history and specialized questions will recognize the caregiver burnout. They will check if you care about your needs. Have you taken a break from your work shifts? They will also assess depression and stress levels.

How to prevent caregiver burnout?

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