What is the Difference between Burnout and Compassion Fatigue?

Kathy Pillow-Price, EdD

July 9, 2021

Question

What is the difference between burnout and compassion fatigue?

Answer

While it is not uncommon to hear compassion fatigue referred to as burnout, the conditions are not the same. Compassion fatigue is more treatable than burnout, but it can also be less predictable and may come on suddenly or without much warning whereas burnout usually develops over time.

Comparison of burnout and compassion fatigue

Figure 1. Comparison of burnout and compassion fatigue.

As you can see in figure 1, burnout is when you are dissatisfied with work, and compassion fatigue is life dissatisfaction. With burnout, you feel under pressure, and with compassion fatigue, you may feel out of control. With burnout, taking time away from work or getting a new job will often fix the problem, but compassion fatigue requires a different treatment.

In the words of the founder of compassion fatigue, Dr. Charles Figley, "Compassion fatigue is a state experienced by those helping people or animals in distress. It is an extreme state of tension and preoccupation with the suffering of those being helped to the degree that it can create a secondary traumatic stress for the helper."

This Ask the Expert is an edited excerpt from the course, Caring for Yourself While Caring for Others, presented by Kathy Pillow-Price, EdD.

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