Long-term follow-up of residual symptoms in patients treated for stress-related exhaustion

Abstract

Background: Many patients with stress-related exhaustion seem to struggle with long-term recovery. The primary aim of this study was to explore residual symptoms and perceived recovery in patients previously treated for stressrelated exhaustion, 7 years after seeking care. Methods: A total of 217 former patients (74% women) previously treated for exhaustion disorder were asked to participate in follow-ups 2, 3, 5, and 7 years post treatment. Symptoms of depression, and anxiety were measured with questionnaires. Remaining symptoms of extreme fatigue, sleep disturbances, problems with concentration, problems with memory and reduced stress tolerance, were rated with single item questions. A subgroup of patients (n = 163) participated in a clinical assessment to confirm residual stress-related exhaustion not caused by other diseases. Results: Almost half of the patients previously treated for stress-related exhaustion perceive fatigue 7 years after initially seeking care, and as many as 73% reported decreased stress tolerance. The clinical assessment confirmed that a third of the patients were clinically judged as still suffering from stress-related exhaustion. Male and female patients showed similar patterns regarding residual symptoms. Conclusions: One third of patients with exhaustion disorder are clinically judged to have exhaustion, 7 years after seeking care. Further studies are needed to elucidate the reason for such a long-term recovery and ultimately to identify methods for prevention.

Benchmarks for Evidence-Based Risk Assessment with the Swedish Version of the 4-Item Psychosocial Safety Climate Scale

“…There is evidence that three out of four patients diagnosed with a stress-related exhaustion disorder have decreased stress tolerance and other symptoms 7 years after seeking care [50]. This makes it crucial to find ways of efficiently preventing work-related stress diseases.…”

Mental fatigue in stress-related exhaustion disorder: Structural brain correlates, clinical characteristics and relations with cognitive functioning

“…Fatigue is a multidimensional phenomenon with physical, emotional, behavioral and cognitive components ( Chaudhuri and Behan, 2004 ). In stress-related ED, fatigue is a central clinical characteristic; a significant lack of psychological energy is part of the diagnostic criteria ( Grossi et al, 2015 ), patients report high levels of fatigue ( van Dam et al, 2011 ), and both physical and mental fatigue are described as residual symptoms by a large proportion of patients several years after treatment ( Glise et al, 2020 , Stenlund et al, 2012 ). Yet, despite its multifaceted nature and high prevalence in ED, the different aspects of fatigue have not been explicitly examined in this patient group.…”

En stum värld? Om resonans, social responsivitet och utbrändhet

“…Flera av Asplunds poänger är dock giltiga även här: att råda den utbrände till avslappning kan på sin höjd ses som symtomlindring, och löser inte problemet. som senare forskning visat kvarstår symtom på utbrändhet flera år efteråt (Glise, Wiegner & Jonsdottir 2020), och om den utmattning som denna forskning undersökt också sammanfaller med ett asplundskt förlorat intresse för omvärlden hjälper troligen inga avslappningsövningar i världen.…”