A few years ago, I had a large influx of clients. Within a month and a half, I welcomed seven new clients. Of the seven, six confided that they were on leave from work for burnout! One was on sick leave for burnout for the third time and, believing there must be some underlying cause, did his own research and discovered he’d been suffering from Attention Deficit Disorder (ADHD) all along.
I was intrigued by this seeming coincidence. I began reviewing my files to determine the number of clients, past and current, who had mentioned suffering from burnout at some point in their lives. I was shocked to discover that over half, 54%, of my clients had been on sick leave for burnout, depression or stress-related health problems at least once in their professional lives. Some had had several periods of stress-related sick leave.
I began digging deep into the literature and found one study that had been conducted on a group of people who were on long-term disability for burnout or stress-related health issues. What they found astounded me. Within that pool of 62 people, they found 24% suffered from ADHD and up to 56% met the criteria for ADHD but testing results were inconclusive because of other confounding issues.
When you consider that the incidence of adult ADHD in the general population is 4 to 8%, this indicates that there’s an increased risk for adults with ADHD; they are three to six times more likely to suffer from burnout or stress-related health problems.
Seeking to gain a better understanding of the mechanisms of burnout, I began to research in earnest. While there is no diagnosis of “burnout”, we understand it to be extreme exhaustion brought on by prolonged periods of stress. As I learned more, I realized ADHD-related burnout was quite different from neurotypical or “textbook” cases of burnout.
ADHD-Related Burnout vs. “Textbook” Burnout
The underlying cause or reason that people burn out differs between the two groups. Neurotypicals (people without ADHD) who burn out often do so because they are trying to prove themselves. They (or others, such as their parents) face high expectations and are trying to “over-perform” as a way of getting noticed. People with ADHD burn out because of the stress brought on by a fear of losing their jobs. They work harder and put in longer hours trying to catch up because they don’t feel productive. They try to make up for their poor productivity and to hide the shame they feel about their inability to meet their workload.
Neglecting your own needs can exacerbate burnout. These two groups (neurotypicals vs. adults with ADHD) neglect their needs for different reasons; whereas ADHDers skimp on sleep, abandon exercise routines and work through their lunch hour and late into the night in an effort to keep up with what they see as the “normal” demands of their job, neurotypicals do the same but because they choose to use that time to fit in more projects that will give them more visibility.
Another difference between the two groups is that while in both “textbook” and ADHD-related burnout, employees suffer from cognitive impairment such as lack of focus, poor short-term memory and challenges with managing their emotions, for neurotypicals, the impairment is due to their prolonged stress and will abate after a period of rest. For adults with ADHD, the cognitive impairment is typically symptomatic of their ADHD (made worse by the stress to be sure) and is at the source of the burnout. Those symptoms remain even after long periods of rest, so a second or even a third bout of burnout is inevitable unless changes are made beyond simple rest, because the source of the burnout has not been addressed.
Recognizing the Source of Burnout is a Prerequisite to the Right Treatment
It’s true that in all burnout cases, rest is needed to reduce the effects of prolonged stress. However, for ADHDers, the treatment must also include an “attack” on the underlying source of the burnout, by managing the ADHD symptoms. The objective is to reduce the level of impairment resulting from the ADHD, and so allow the ADHDer to improve his or her work performance. One of the most dramatic ways to optimize focus improve productivity is for the ADHD-burnout sufferer to learn ADHD-friendly energy and time management strategies as well as organizational strategies. Helping the ADHD employee build awareness of the signs of overwhelming stress and helping them prepare a plan of action to enable them to respond to it effectively is essential to prevent future burnouts.
Finally, beyond simple rest, burnout victims benefit enormously from “recovery activities” such as improving health hygiene (sleep, exercise and nutrition), connecting with family and friends and engaging in creative activities. These help reduce the effects of stress and cut the level of stress to a manageable level.
In today’s society, it’s unlikely we’ll be able to eliminate stress that could lead to burnout. However, we can learn to effectively manage that stress by recognizing the true underlying causes of ADHD-related burnout and treating the problem at the source.
I’ve been feeling burnt out a lot quicker than usual. I didn’t know that it could be ADHD! Maybe I should talk to a professional to have them help me out.
I never realized that my need to work so hard in fear of losing my job was an ADHD thing! I thought it was just a me thing…
It can also be a You thing in combination with the ADHD challenges that creates a higher likelihood of making mistakes through inattention, impulsivity, etc.
I have been killing myself 10 years at my current job just trying to get my next promotion. I typically work seven days a week for over a decade. I have worked so long and hard for my promotion that I feel like I’m going to die. if I slack even a little bit I will probably lose my job. I have sacrificed so much.
I feel like the only choice really for people with ADHD is some sort of disability insurance. At least if I had income for no work, I could have things that other people have like a family And friends and leisure time.
You really need to find a different job. Your killing yourself for a place that would replace you, if you have to work 7 days a week so you don’t lose your job. It’s definitely the wrong job….
maybe you need to think about wether this promotion is worth not having any other life for, will it matter later on, or would you rather have a family and be able to go hang out with friends? If that’s the case. Change your job find one that appreciates your hard work but make sure you’re only putting in the 5 days a week and that you get time off to be yourself.
Hi D,
I agree that if your career or position does not play to your strengths you will struggle and have to work so much harder just to make it. However, even when you are working in your area of strengths, there will always be tasks that you need to do that require focus and are more challenging for you. It’s why it’s important to 1) optimize your focus, and 2) learn to plan so that you can choose the best time to do what you need to do.
Thanks for writing.
I really have to thank you incredibly for this article! Last year I had a hard burnout (and I’m just 28 y/o at my second job after graduating). After a month out of work I went back, and even with all that time was still so exhausted. In fact what you are describing here has been my everyday life since school, I was always the one working 3 times more than the others, working entire nights (sometimes a few in a raw) so I could finish in time. I was diagnosed with ADHD when I was 22 during my studies and had at that time what I believe was my first burnout. I stopped medication after a year (my father convinced me it was just drugs and that if I was badly organized I had to work hard to make it work). The truth is, I was never able to get better at that and because I know it, I always worked 3 times more than every body. Knowing that if I don’t, my work becomes mediocre. Also I work in advertising so there is already a pretty hard rhythm in place. I spent the past 3 years working for about 12-14 hours à day (or sometimes 24+8 = 32h). But I always hide that because I know that it’s not the normal time to execute the tasks I do. As you say, I didn’t have the Ambition to be the best and show of, I just wanted to be good enough and that people would not see my work as insufficient. The reality is that I know I take more time than a normal person to do my job. But I also somehow end up doing more than expected and sometimes better quality. I think that comes from the fear of not doing enough. You have no idea how many times, while I just can’t stand having my eyes open, this little voice tells me that if I don’t continue I will get fired.
A year as passed I still fill completely burned out, recently quit my job (thinking that it could be better not in an agency) but I already am stressing about the idea of not being capable for the next job. But if your words where so helpful Is that finally I realized that I was not too weak to survive the professional life. That it’s normal that I am still feeling the burnout. That my condition actually makes it harder for me and that I have to work on that to get better.
I thank you very much!
I feel compelled to write, I find “People with ADHD burn out because of the stress brought on by a fear of losing their jobs.” A worryingly simplistic statement. ADHD and the way it affects people’s lives that can lead to burnout is much more complex than that. In my personal experience, ADHD led to burnout because my (ADHD) brain created a life that was very chaotic and completely unsustainable. And then juggling all the balls that had been tossed up in the air was exhausting and fragmented the mind further. I am quite sure there are many ways in which ADHD directly or indirectly can lead a person to experience burnout. I therefore feel it would be helpful not to publish such definitive statements, especially as some who read may be feeling very confused and taking the first steps in trying to disentangle and understand what has happened to lead them to this point.
I completely agree. The problem that leads to multiple burnouts in ADHD is that, if the ADHD challenges that cause chaos and poor productivity are not addressed, extreme fatigue and feelings of overwhelm will ensue and multiple burnouts occure.
I have ADHD, I’m definitely not unproductive but always end up with the lion’s share of the work. I work long hours to get the work done and usually when I leave that job the next person into bat finds they can’t complete the same volumne of work at all. To stand a chance they’d have to put in the same hours and they can’t or won’t. One of my last employers said that two people (one a level below and one a level above) were doing the same work I was doing between them. I guess I easily make others look bad. I’m very highly qualified, and in a job I thoroughly enjoy so I don’t put it down, which is very unfair I know. But having said all this I do risk burnout and that’s not good. But I am learning to switch off more and as I get older I’m not prepared to give my whole self to the job.