According to the American Psychiatric Association (APA), burnout is not considered to be a mental health disorder in its own right, although it may be associated with one. This makes obtaining a clinical diagnosis almost impossible despite the prevalence of the issue, especially in the workplace. That said, the APA is not the only body to take a view on diagnosing burnout. For example, the Royal Dutch Medical Association sees things differently and will classify someone who has burned themselves out as suffering from a particular type of adjustment disorder. Generally speaking, adjustment disorders are characterised by a maladapted response to a single or set of psychological stressors. In other words, the inability to cope fully – or at all – with something stressful, such as work, may be the best way of diagnosing cases of burnout. When someone simply cannot cope with their responsibilities at home or at work, then they are said to have been burned out. These days, most psychologists use a Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI) test to assess potentially burned-out people. You can use an MBI test on yourself to give you an indication of your own current state.