Neurobiologist Brankele Frank wrote a book about it, called Over de kop. In it she explains that a burnout can sometimes even lead to brain damage, comparable to a concussion.
Stresshormoon cortisol
Brankele talks in the book, and also in an interview with Fidelity, how this is possible. “Normally your body can regulate itself. And the stress mechanism is also able to bring itself back to normal levels. But at some point, if you are stressed long enough, that self-regulating mechanism breaks down. And if the stress hormone cortisol is present in your brain for too long, it becomes harmful. The result is that you end up with a chronically stressed brain. They really look different from a normally stressed brain.”
She also says that brain volume decreases. “Some brain areas have grown, others have shrunk. As a result, the dynamics between those brain areas have also changed. You then get a vicious circle of things that just can’t sustain each other enough anymore. And then it all spirals out of control.”
Respond instead of anticipate
According to Frankele, this can be explained: “The more stressed you are, the more reactive you become. At a certain point you are only able to react, instead of anticipate. All the mechanisms you normally use to reduce your stress work less well. Because stress costs energy and causes your prefrontal cortex, i.e. your thinking ability, to be inhibited. Your emotions are actually excited. So you are more unstable, more irritable and at the same time more difficult to put things into perspective. This makes it systematically more difficult to take good care of yourself.”
Brain damage equals concussion
During her research, Frankele noted that the brain damage caused by a burnout appears to be the same as that caused by a concussion. “I found scientific studies showing that the same types of biomarkers have been found in burnouts – I am talking about the serious cases – as in concussions.” Biomarkers are substances in your body that can be an indication of a certain disease. She continues: “In this case it involved astrocyte vesicles, biomarkers found in mild brain injuries such as concussion. These blisters are found in people who have suffered a physical blow. But also in people with a burnout.”
The recovery time of the brain after a burnout
Brankele says that the recovery time of the brain after a burnout varies per person. “There are studies from Sweden, where a third of the people studied were still clinically burned out seven years after dropping out. Only 16 percent reported being cured. So at least two-thirds to three-quarters of people have still not fully recovered after all this time,” says Brankele. “But you also have different degrees of burnouts, of course.”
Actress and singer Loeki Knol (75) suffered a burnout last year. Fortunately, she is getting better, she tells Story. And that is partly due to the help she received from a well-known ‘guru’ and former television presenter. Matthijs Albers will update you:
Bron: Fidelity
January 26, 2024
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2024-01-26 15:59:43
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