Teen Depression vs. Burnout

Adolescence is a time of immense change, from their bodies maturing to the social and psychological pressures of increasing independence. Some teens can be prone to either depression or burnout and, in some cases, both. 

The mental health impacts of these conditions have much in common, and while they may overlap, they’re not the same, nor are treatment approaches. 

When you notice the symptoms of depression or burnout in your teen, partner with our pediatricians at Abdow Friendship Pediatrics in Rockville, Maryland, for the attention and care your child needs to work through their challenges. 

The differences between depression and burnout

The symptoms of depression and burnout can look similar, and burnout can trigger a depressive episode, making a diagnosis sometimes difficult. Perhaps a simple way to distinguish between them is by considering depression an internal condition and burnout a result of external sources and stimuli. 

Depression

Depression is a mental health problem that creates persistent sadness typically accompanied by a loss of interest in activities and connections that were once enjoyable. It’s common for the challenges of adolescence to include moodiness, but depression goes beyond this. 

While depression may seem to stem from issues like esteem, peer pressure, frustration, guilt, and more, the actual relationship may be reversed. Depression may be the cause of these issues rather than the result. 

Burnout

While burnout is usually associated with adults, teens are vulnerable to it as well since they’re at a point where there are new demands placed on them academically and socially. Even their interests and passions can add up to the point where they feel overwhelmed, and the effort to meet all their responsibilities leaves them drained and fatigued. 

A teen with a busy calendar of responsibilities may be prone to burnout, but it’s not a measure of the condition. Even children with modest schedules can be taxed by the demands of their lives.

When burnout starts to undermine your teen’s confidence and esteem, it can spiral downward toward depression if the burnout cycle isn’t interrupted. 

Symptoms of depression and burnout

Signs of teen depression often include: 

• Emotional changes like feelings of anger, frustration, hopelessness, or sadness
• Irritability or moodiness
• Self-blame and self-criticism
• Low self-esteem
• Inability to focus or complete tasks
• Sensitivity to rejection and failure
• Pessimistic outlook
• Thoughts of dying or suicide

A teen with burnout might experience: 

• Feeling overwhelmed or out of control over specific aspects of their life
• Exhaustion and fatigue
• Irritability or moodiness
• Increasingly caught up in negative emotions and moods
• Inability to focus or complete tasks

As teens are still learning to articulate their feelings and thoughts, accurate and direct communication may be difficult. In general, a teen going through burnout is more likely to have specific targets for their frustrations, while a depressed teen may have many targets or none at all. 

It’s important to understand that your child is unique, and their symptoms may not be simple to assign or classify. 

Contact our behavioral health and depression specialists to help with your teen’s challenges. Depression is a condition that responds well to counseling and medication, while burnout can be refocused with attention to behavioral counseling. 

There’s an answer for your teen’s condition, and we’re here to help. Call or click to book your appointment today.