Professional burnout among nursing personnel employed in selected mental health departments in Poland

Background. Professional burnout occurs under circumstances of chronic stress and applies mostly to occupational groups whose work entails direct contact and close interpersonal involvement with people. Professional burnout is a consequence of dissonance between the person and the work environment. It is a multidimensional and remote response to chronic interpersonal stress at work. It is a process that usually builds up gradually and is difficult to reverse. Nurses working with mentally ill patients are a high-risk group for developing professional burnout.