Overextending the overextended: Burnout potential in health-care professionals, psychologists, patients, and family members

Abstract

A nurse providing care on the intensive care unit for children complains of debilitating headaches and is becoming increasingly socially isolated and detached from others. A pediatrician is suffering from insomnia and days of vacation do not appear to alleviate symptoms of anxiety or sadness. A mother of a child who survived a brain tumor is experiencing problems in her marriage and fears that the tumor will come back. She frequently worries about her child's capacity to have meaningful relationships and a fulfilling career as an adult. An adolescent living with type 1 diabetes for 8 years has become lax in his diabetes management and feels hopeless about the future. A psychologist assisting families with chronically ill adolescents feels powerless to change behavior and improve outcomes outside of her control and frequently experiences intrusive thoughts about her patients. © 2009 Springer Science+Business Media, LLC.