I’m exhausted all the time — is it depression or burnout?

You’re tired in a way that sleep, weekends and days off don’t fix, and you’re trying to work out what to call it. Someone may have suggested burnout or depression, or you may have wondered about one or both yourself. No page can tell you which it is. This one covers why the two are so hard to separate, why it’s still worth finding out, and what’s worth checking, whichever word fits.

What people describe

People running on empty describe a range of experiences.

• Tired all the way through. Rest, weekends and time off make no difference to how drained you feel.
• Facing the week. Dread at the thought of facing another week of work, study or other responsibilities.
• Going through the motions. Feeling distant or cynical about things you used to care about, at work, in study or in the rest of your life.
• Less getting done. Simple tasks taking much longer than usual, or not getting finished at all.
• A shorter fuse. Snapping at people over small things, and then feeling bad about it afterwards.
• Sleep gone wrong. Lying awake for hours, waking up again and again, or sleeping far more than usual and still waking tired.
• Less enjoyment. Things outside work, study or other responsibilities that used to help you unwind have stopped bringing pleasure or relief.

If the exhaustion has come with thoughts of suicide or of not wanting to be here, the numbers near the end of this page are there any time.

Why the two are hard to tell apart

The World Health Organization describes burnout as the result of long-running stress at work that hasn’t been managed, and it isn’t classed as a medical condition. That’s about how it’s classified, not about how much it affects you.

Depression is a condition a GPGP (general practitioner) For most people, where getting help starts. A GP can write a Mental Health Treatment Plan, prescribe medication and refer you on, and some are trained to deliver a small number of structured therapy sessions themselves. More in the jargon decoder Close can assess, and it has treatments with good evidence behind them.

Researchers themselves disagree on how distinct the two really are. In a review pooling dozens of studies, people with more burnout tended to have more symptoms of depression. The researchers concluded that the two are related but are different things (Koutsimani and colleagues, 2019).

Other researchers argue that the line between burnout and depression is thin (Bianchi and colleagues, 2015). The difference people usually point to is that burnout is about work and depression runs through everything. These researchers say that difference doesn’t hold up well, partly because exhaustion that starts at work tends to spread into the rest of life.

A break usually helps for a while, but the lift tends to fade soon after going back. How you feel after a holiday doesn’t answer the question either.

How you name it can still affect what you do next. Some doctors and researchers have warned that calling it burnout can mean depression goes unrecognised and untreated. Whichever group of researchers is right, if you’re exhausted and low, it’s worth a GP checking for depression.

What’s worth checking

• A physical cause. Exhaustion can come from stress, anxiety, depression or grief. It can also come from a physical cause, such as low iron, an underactive thyroid, sleep problems or an infection, and some medications cause it (healthdirect). See a GP if you’ve been exhausted for more than two weeks and it isn’t getting better. Go sooner if it’s worrying you, if it’s stopping you doing things, or if it comes with other changes, such as losing weight. When it isn’t therapy you need covers physical causes and other things worth ruling out.
• Low mood. A GP can assess whether the exhaustion has come with other symptoms that may point to depression. Getting a diagnosis covers what an assessment involves.
• The load. What’s being asked of you at work, in study or at home, and whether any of it can change. Being worn out by more than you can keep up with is a response to the load, and the load is part of what’s worth looking at. If the pressure comes from work, the burnout page covers employers’ duties around risks to mental health.

Where to start

A GP is the usual first step, and one appointment can cover checking for physical causes and asking about your mood. You don’t need to know which word fits to book it. Burnout and depression each cover what helps.

How you pay shapes what’s available.

• Full fee. Seeing a psychologistPsychologist Someone trained to assess mental health problems and treat them with therapy. It takes at least six years of study and supervised practice, and they're registered with Ahpra, the national regulator. Psychologists can't prescribe medication. More in the jargon decoder Close, counsellorCounsellor Someone trained to help people talk through and work on difficulties. The title isn't protected in Australia, so it's worth checking a counsellor's training and registration. Medicare doesn't give a rebate for counsellors. More in the jargon decoder Close or psychotherapistPsychotherapist Someone trained in therapy, often for longer-standing patterns. Like counsellor, the title isn't protected in Australia, and Medicare doesn't give a rebate for psychotherapists. More in the jargon decoder Close privately. MedicareMedicare Australia's public health insurance scheme. For mental health, it gives rebates on sessions with psychologists and some other professionals, usually through a Mental Health Treatment Plan. More in the jargon decoder Close doesn’t cover counsellors or psychotherapists.
• Workplace programs. A few free sessions through an employee assistance program, if your employer has one.
• Community services. Low-cost or subsidised counselling from community health centres and non-profit organisations.
• headspaceheadspace A national youth mental health service for anyone aged 12 to 25, with centres around Australia and support online and by phone. It's free or close to it, you don't need a referral or a parent, and you can book it yourself. More in the jargon decoder Close. headspace offers free or low-cost support for people aged 12 to 25.
• Groups. Skills or support groups, which usually cost less per session.
• A Mental Health Treatment PlanMental Health Treatment Plan A document your GP writes with you. It makes you eligible for a Medicare rebate on up to ten individual sessions a calendar year: six, then a review with your GP, then the remaining four. The plan itself isn't therapy. More in the jargon decoder Close. A Mental Health Treatment Plan needs a GP to diagnose a mental disorder, and burnout on its own isn’t classed as one. Whether a plan is possible depends on what your GP finds.

Free and low-cost options has more on each of these.

If things are difficult right now, Lifeline is on 13 11 14, the Suicide Call Back Service is on 1300 659 467, and Kids Helpline is on 1800 55 1800 for anyone aged 5 to 25. In an emergency, call 000. Crisis and emergency support has the full list.

Where next

Whatever this is, how well you work with the person helping you matters a great deal. Why who you see matters more than what they do explains why.