Thank you for describing in such details the suffering that you have endured. Let me assure you that your predicament is shared by many other people as well and you are not alone in this.
Several conditions came to my mind.
First, is that of an anxiety disorder, whereby a person would feel:
- on edge,
- tense,
- worried and
- has poor sleep.
Second, is that of a depressive disorder, whereby the individual will experience episodes of:
- low mood,
- crying,
- brooding over past events,
- have negative thoughts like thinking that the future is bleak and
- that one is useless.
The third condition is that of burnout syndrome. Various definitions of burnout have emerged. One defined burnout as "an experience of physical, emotional and mental exhaustion caused by longterm involvement in situations that are emotionally demanding". Another defined burnout as a syndrome of:
- emotional exhaustion (tiredness, somatic symptoms, decreased emotional resources, and a feeling that one has nothing left to give to others),
- depersonalization (developing negative, cynical attitudes and impersonal feelings towards their clients, treating them as objects) and
- lack of feelings of personal accomplishment (feelings of incompetence, inefficiency and inadequacy).
This definition of burnout has been the most widely used in literature.
So do seek evaluation and help from a mental health professional soon. For a better understanding of anxiety and depressive disorders, you may want to refer to my replies to other internet users on these conditions.
For burnout syndrome, two groups of interventions may be useful. First, focusing on the individual, these will include:
- social skills training,
- stress management interventions,
- social support and
- time management.
Second, focusing on the organization, interventions include:
- defining role and job characteristics,
- improving interpersonal relationships,
- encouraging decentralization in the organizational structure and
- improving the physical environment of the work place.
Ultimately, to prevent burnout, it is important for the supervisor to provide formal support through regular feedback and appraisal of the worker’s performance, and this needs to occur even in the absence of any identified problem.
