Manager syndrome

Any type of activity that provides a livelihood can cause fatigue, be accompanied by negative emotions and problems: work and stress often go hand in hand. But manager syndrome develops in people who perform management functions and have not only a stressful work schedule, but also daily psycho-emotional stress.

The need to constantly make decisions and take responsibility for them contributes to chronic stress. Each manager receives a monetary reward for his work, and some of them - due to the loss of the ability to relax, take a break and take care of themselves - manager's syndrome to boot.

Causes manager syndrome

The causes of manager's syndrome are rooted in the stressful nature of managerial activity. For many responsible employees and managers in various fields, the priority of their career and ambitions is so high that a violation of the balance between work and everyday life (rest, family, health and spiritual development) is almost inevitable.

And then they are overtaken by stress – psychological and psychosocial. The first is caused by negative emotions, information overload, accelerated sense of time, unproductive perfectionism, anxiety, panic attacks (with a feeling of loss of control over the situation).

The reason for the emergence of psychosocial stress are difficulties in relationships with partners, employers, employees, family members; financial problems, etc.

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Risk factors

Experts in sociopsychology note that risk factors for the development of the syndrome include the fear of those making important decisions to show their weaknesses, because this may call into question their organizational skills, reduce the authority of the leader, and hurt their pride.

In addition, middle age, which is the most fruitful period of life, is associated with a reconsideration of values, the meaning of life and self-esteem. And a person may come to understand that instead of meaningful and satisfying work, he is engaged in an exhausting struggle for recognition of his status.

A very small percentage of people can adapt to a stressful situation; the majority become even more vulnerable when the psychological load increases. It is precisely in the reduction of the stress resistance threshold that the risk factors for the development of manager's syndrome lie. So the pathogenesis of this syndrome is associated with the effect of prolonged stress on the body.

According to the American Institute of Stress, 75-90% of doctor visits are related to stress, because the cascade of physiological reactions it causes in the body can be destructive not only due to depression. For example, it has been suggested that manager's syndrome, very common among the Japanese, has hit the birth rate in the country so hard that it has become one of the reasons for the aging of the population. And research conducted on rats has shown that stress causes structural changes in the areas of the brain associated with decision-making and goal-oriented behavior.

By the way, some psychologists identify the manager syndrome with the professional burnout syndrome or emotional burnout syndrome. However, "burnout" caused by high emotional stress at work is a three-dimensional syndrome (nervous exhaustion, inner emptiness, inefficiency) and is associated with the loss of internal motivation. It is believed that social and medical workers, teachers and lawyers, police officers and service workers are more susceptible to it. This syndrome is more likely when the work performed does not correspond to the person's character.

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Symptoms manager syndrome

Most often, the first signs of the development of this syndrome are manifested by stress symptoms: fatigue, mood swings, irritability, nervousness, headaches, stiff neck or back pain, sleep disturbances.

If appropriate measures are not taken at this stage, the symptoms of manager syndrome will worsen: when stress-related mood and emotions are “pushed into the body”, causing psychosomatic or psychogenic pathologies. And then there is a rapid heartbeat and increased blood pressure; increased cholesterol levels in the blood and its deposition in the vessels; hyperhidrosis and hair loss; eating disorders and gastrointestinal problems; imbalance of hormones of the adrenal glands, pituitary gland, thyroid gland, etc.; weakening of the immune system and reproductive capabilities.

Complications and consequences

It is clear that in such a situation there may be consequences and complications. These include cardiovascular diseases and sexual health problems, autoimmune dermatological reactions, difficulty concentrating, obesity, alcohol consumption and taking tranquilizers (to sleep at night).

More useful information is available in the publication Symptoms of Stress

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Diagnostics manager syndrome

Let us note right away that the diagnosis of manager syndrome should be carried out by psychotherapists and psychologists, but when a patient comes to us with headaches, problems with the cardiovascular system or gastrointestinal tract, he goes to a therapist, cardiologist or gastroenterologist...

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Differential diagnosis

And here differential diagnostics is necessary. Since clinically and nosologically manager syndrome is similar to both depression (about 90% of patients meet the diagnostic criteria for depressive state) and stress-induced nervous exhaustion, familiarize yourself with the detailed principles of diagnosing nervous exhaustion

Apparently, as the Journal of Health Psychology writes, the term “manager’s syndrome” is controversial, since research has not yet identified any mental or neurological disorders specific to this condition.

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Treatment manager syndrome

Typically, the first step in solving a problem is acknowledging that it exists, and this observation is especially true for Manager Syndrome.

What is the treatment for manager's syndrome that has not reached the stage of serious somatic manifestations? And is it possible to prevent this condition?

Experts say each person must find the solution that works best for them and recommend:

• do fitness, swim, ride a bike, play active sports games, and you can start with morning exercises or a short jog;
• adhere to the usual rules of healthy eating (see - Anti-stress diet ) and do not forget to have breakfast in the morning and lunch in the afternoon;
• don't use food to "eat away" stress (try deep breathing or a little muscle stretching);
• learn to meditate (neurophysiologists claim that systematic meditation not only calms the body, but can also act as an antidote to the effects of stress on the brain, improving our ability to think analytically).

Whenever you feel that the situation is heating up and your nerves are on edge, slow down the pace of your speech: when a person speaks more slowly than usual, internal tension “dissolves” and the ability to control your emotions returns.

Perhaps a person with a clear complex of symptoms of this syndrome does not believe in the health benefits of exercise and proper nutrition and wants to get rid of their problems with the help of pharmacological drugs. However, exercise and proper nutrition - unlike drugs - do not have side effects. If you want to make sure of this before you take pills, then read the detailed article - Drugs that protect against stress

Forecast

What can the prognosis of the development of manager syndrome depend on? First of all, on a timely revision of values. If work absorbs all energy, leaving neither strength nor time for family, friends and hobbies; if the demands made at work do not correspond to the person’s ability to meet these demands, then stress and manager syndrome are guaranteed.

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