title: A biological perspective on differences and similarities between burnout and depression.
abstract: To compare and contrast burnout and depression is not only a conceptual issue, but may deliver important directions for treatment approaches and stabilize the awareness of disease which is essential for affected individuals. Because of the symptomatic overlap, it is a subject of multidimensional research and discussion to find specific signatures to differentiate between the two phenomena or to present evidence that they are different aspects of the same disorder. Both pathologies are regarded as stress-related disorders. Therefore, in this review burnout and depression are discussed on the basis of biological parameters, mainly heart rate variability (HRV) and brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), which are crucial to the stress response system. It emerges that instead of finding one specific discriminating marker, future research should rather concentrate on elaborating indices for burnout and depression which integrate combinations of parameters found in genetics, neurobiology, physiology and environment.
authors.affiliation: Sanatorium Kilchberg, Centre for Stress Related Illnesses, Alte Landstrasse 70, 8802, Kilchberg, Switzerland; University Hospital of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Translational Research Center, Bolligenstrasse 111, 3000 Bern 60, Switzerland. Electronic address: ariane.orosz@sanatorium-kilchberg.ch.
authors.forename: Ariane
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Orosz
authors.affiliation: University Hospital of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Translational Research Center, Bolligenstrasse 111, 3000 Bern 60, Switzerland. Electronic address: federspiel@puk.unibe.ch.
authors.forename: Andrea
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Federspiel
authors.affiliation: Sanatorium Kilchberg, Centre for Stress Related Illnesses, Alte Landstrasse 70, 8802, Kilchberg, Switzerland. Electronic address: sarie.haisch@sanatorium-kilchberg.ch.
authors.forename: Sarie
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Haisch
authors.affiliation: Sanatorium Kilchberg, Centre for Stress Related Illnesses, Alte Landstrasse 70, 8802, Kilchberg, Switzerland. Electronic address: christian.seeher@sanatorium-kilchberg.ch.
authors.forename: Christian
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Seeher
authors.affiliation: University Hospital of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Translational Research Center, Bolligenstrasse 111, 3000 Bern 60, Switzerland. Electronic address: dierks@puk.unibe.ch.
authors.forename: Thomas
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Dierks
authors.affiliation: Sanatorium Kilchberg, Centre for Stress Related Illnesses, Alte Landstrasse 70, 8802, Kilchberg, Switzerland; University Hospital of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Translational Research Center, Bolligenstrasse 111, 3000 Bern 60, Switzerland. Electronic address: katja.cattapan@sanatorium-kilchberg.ch.
authors.forename: Katja
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Cattapan
mesh_terms: D001008:Anxiety Disorders; D019208:Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor; D002055:Burnout, Professional; D003863:Depression; D003866:Depressive Disorder; D006801:Humans
chemical_list: D019208:Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor
keywords: Allostatic load index; Autonomic nervous system; Brain-derived neurotrophic factor; Burnout; Childhood adversity; Depression; Heart rate variability; Hippocampal volume; Parasympathetic nervous system; Stress; Stress-related disorders