Affective disorders and self-appraisal of health by office employees
experiencing professional exhaustion or distress

Vinokur V.A. (St. Petersburg), Agapova E.V. (Volgograd)

	Vinokur Vladimir Alexandrovich Doctor of medicine, professor and the Chair of Psychology and Pedagogy at the I.I. Mechnikov Northwest State Medical University, general manager of the St. Petersburg Balint Society, Member of the Advisory Council of the International Balint Federation. E-mail: vavinokur@mail.ru
	Agapova Elena Vladimirovna Qualified Psychologist, Volgograd city. E-mail: elena_eva2901@mail.ru

Abstract. Professional activity of state machinery employees is carried out under the condition of high neuro-psychic tension and it characterizes influence on wide range of stress factors. The state of chronic stress often engenders developmental risk growth of these employees' category neuro-psychic disorders and contributes to professional exhaustion and distress, which is recognized at present as a problem requiring medical assistance; it is included in "Psychiatry's Vocabulary of the World Health Organization". The study of the professional exhaustion intensity and its correlation with the intensity of affective disorders was carried out among a health self-appraisal of employees at different state structures. Altogether 144 employees were examined from the state service in different Russian regions. The basic diagnostic instrument estimating the level of intensity in professional exhaustion was the questionnaire "Relationship to Work and Professional Burn-out". It was tested and statistically validated. The date of distress and psychological disorder and their correlation were compiled and the results showed that government employees experienced equal levels of professional "burn-out" but had lower levels of self-awareness of this fact. These correlations have systemic character so long as they are noticed by us and other members of communicative professions.

Key words: Professional "Burn-out", Depression, Health Self-Appraisal, Government Employees.