Depression or Burnout? — Clinical Decision Flowchart
Depression and burnout share symptoms but require different treatment. This flowchart walks through the six differentiation questions, gives you decision branches for each, and outlines the clinical approach for each outcome.
What is in this flowchart
Six differentiation questions — domain of impairment, onset and context, restoration response, self-perception, neurovegetative symptoms, and duration. Each with the clinical question to ask and the decision it informs.
Burnout path — specific criteria for burnout likelihood, clinical approach (validation, context exploration, behavioral and values work), and what to monitor for progression to depression.
Depression path — specific criteria for clinical depression, full assessment protocol, psychiatric referral indicators, and the differentials to consider (MDD vs. PDD vs. Bipolar II).
The “both” branch — when sustained burnout has tipped into a depressive episode. How to address both layers and why treating only one typically leaves the other unresolved.
Bipolar screening note — the clinical signals that suggest Bipolar II rather than unipolar depression, and why the distinction changes the treatment approach.
Quick reference table — burnout vs. depression side-by-side across all six domains.