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Caregiver Burnout Quiz

Caring for someone with cancer can be fulfilling, but it can also be hard. Over time, the stress of caregiving can build up and lead to caregiver burnout. This can affect your health and make caregiving feel even harder.

Knowing the signs and finding support can help you meet your own needs while continuing to care for your loved one.

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What is caregiver burnout?

Caregiver burnout is a state of feeling physically, emotionally, and mentally worn out. Many caregivers experience burnout at some point. It does not mean you are failing or that you do not care deeply about your loved one.

Burnout may develop due to:

  • Long periods of stress
  • Changes in your loved one’s health or needs
  • Managing complex treatments, appointments, medicines, or symptoms
  • Balancing caregiving with work, family, and other responsibilities
  • Not having enough time for yourself

What is the difference between stress and burnout?

Everyone feels stressed sometimes. Burnout happens when stress builds up and starts affecting your health and ability to care for yourself or someone else. It may make it harder to make decisions, manage daily tasks, or provide care.

Knowing the signs of burnout can help you get support before it gets worse.

Is burnout the same thing as compassion fatigue?

Caregiver burnout and compassion fatigue are similar, but they are not the same.

  • Caregiver burnout usually happens when the ongoing demands of caregiving leave you physically, mentally, and emotionally exhausted.
  • Compassion fatigue is related more to the emotional strain of being exposed to someone else’s pain, suffering, or trauma. It can make you feel emotionally numb or disconnected, or lose interest in caregiving.

A caregiver can have burnout, compassion fatigue, or both at the same time.

What raises the risk of burnout?

Anyone caring for a person with cancer can experience burnout, but some caregivers are at higher risk. Your risk may be higher if you:

  • Spend many hours caring for someone
  • Have little help from others
  • Care for someone with advanced cancer or someone with severe symptoms or who needs a lot of help

Burnout is also more common if you are trying to care for someone while also working, raising children, and caring for others. Being worried about medical bills or lost income, feeling unprepared for caregiving, and having your own health problems or a history of anxiety or depression can also increase your risk.

Signs of caregiver burnout

Signs of caregiver burnout may include physical and emotional signs, as well as changes in behavior.

Physical signs

  • Feeling tired most of the time
  • Changes in sleep
  • Changes in appetite
  • Getting sick more often
  • Headaches or muscle tension

Emotional signs

  • Feeling overwhelmed or unable to cope
  • Feeling anxious, sad, or hopeless
  • Feeling angry, frustrated, or resentful
  • Feeling guilty or like you are not doing enough
  • Losing interest in activities you enjoy

Changes in behavior

  • Spending less time with family and friends
  • Not taking care of your own health
  • Having trouble making decisions
  • Drinking more alcohol or using drugs to cope
  • Feeling like you can’t step away from caregiving

Take the quiz

Am I at risk for caregiver burnout?

Caring for someone with cancer can be stressful. You may worry about your loved one’s health, the future, money, and making difficult decisions. You may also put your loved one’s needs ahead of your own. Over time, this stress can affect your physical and mental health.

This quiz (called the American Medical Association (AMA) Caregiver Self-Assessment Questionnaire) can help you recognize when your stress may be becoming too much and when you may need more support. It may help identify if you’re at greater risk for caregiver burnout, so you can get help before it becomes more serious.

1/

During the past week or so... I have had trouble keeping my mind on what I was doing

2/

During the past week or so... I have felt that I couldn’t leave my relative alone

3/

During the past week or so... I have had difficulty making decisions

4/

During the past week or so... I have felt completely overwhelmed

5/

During the past week or so... I have felt useful and needed

6/

During the past week or so... I have felt lonely

7/

During the past week or so... I have been upset that my relative has changed so much from his/her former self

8/

During the past week or so... I have felt a loss of privacy and/or personal time

9/

During the past week or so... I have been edgy or irritable

10/

During the past week or so... I have had sleep disturbed because of caring for my relative

11/

During the past week or so... I have had a crying spell(s)

12/

During the past week or so... I have felt strained between work and family responsibilities

13/

During the past week or so... I have had back pain

14/

During the past week or so... I have felt ill (headaches, stomach problems or common cold)

15/

During the past week or so... I have been satisfied with the support my family has given me

16/

During the past week or so... I have found my relative’s living situation to be inconvenient or a barrier to care

17/

On a scale of 1 to 10, with 1 being “not stressful” to 10 being “extremely stressful,” please rate your current level of stress.
  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • 4
  • 5
  • 6
  • 7
  • 8
  • 9
  • 10

18/

On a scale of 1 to 10, with 1 being “very healthy” to 10 being “very ill,” please rate your current health compared to what it was this time last year.
  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • 4
  • 5
  • 6
  • 7
  • 8
  • 9
  • 10
You are in high distress
  • Talk with your cancer care team about how you are feeling. They can help you find support and connect with resources that can help.
  • Eat healthy, balanced meals and drink water regularly.
  • Get regular physical activity, such as walking or stretching.
  • Practice meditation, mindfulness, or if you are a spiritual person - prayer.
  • Ask for help from family and friends; people may be unaware of how overwhelmed you are and are willing to assist.
  • Return to your favorite hobbies.
  • Prioritize each day to help manage your time throughout the day; get help for more difficult or tedious tasks.
  • Consider seeing a counselor to discuss how to cope with the demands of caregiving.
  • Contact us at 1-800-227-2345 for local resources for respite, support, or counseling.
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You are in low distress

It isn’t unusual for caregivers to have some of these problems for a short time. But they may mean that you’re at risk for higher levels of distress. When caregivers don’t attend to their own needs and allow other pressures to take over, they may lose the ability to continue to care for their loved one. Part of caring for someone else is caring for yourself.

See Caregiver Support to learn more about managing caregivers’ responsibilities.

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What to do if you notice signs of burnout

If you notice signs of caregiver burnout, take action. Talk with someone you trust about how you are feeling. This could be a family member, friend, your cancer care team, or a counselor or mental health professional. They can help you find support, share caregiving tasks, or connect you with resources that can help.

Look for ways to take short breaks during the day. Even having a few minutes to rest, take a walk, or do something you enjoy can help. When possible, ask others to help with specific tasks, such as meals, errands, transportation, or spending time with your loved one.

If you need a longer break, respite care may be an option in some areas. This allows you to take time away from caregiving while still making sure your loved one gets the care they need.

Don’t wait until you feel completely overwhelmed. Asking for help early can make it easier to manage stress and may help prevent burnout from getting worse.

Know when to get more help

If your stress or exhaustion lasts for weeks, keeps you from caring for yourself, or makes it hard to get through your day, talk with your cancer care team or your doctor. They can help you find counseling, support groups, respite care, or other services.

If you have thoughts of harming yourself or feel like you are in a crisis, get help right away. You can call or text 988 to reach the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline, which is available 24/7. It offers free and confidential support via phone or chat for people in distress and resources for you or your loved ones, including information on finding your local crisis center.

To get immediate help, you can also go to the emergency department or call 911.

How to prevent burnout

Caregiver burnout can build over time. Taking care of yourself can help keep stress from building up and may help prevent burnout.

  • Be realistic about what you can do. You do not have to handle everything on your own. Accept help when it is offered, and let others know specific ways they can support you.
  • Make time for yourself, even during busy times. Stay connected with family and friends. Keep up with your own health needs. Make time for activities you enjoy when you can. These small steps can help you stay healthy while caring for someone else.

How long does burnout last?

Burnout does not go away overnight, and recovery is different for everyone. It may take days, weeks, or even months to start feeling better, depending on your situation. Taking care of yourself and getting support when you need it can help lower stress and make things feel more manageable.

For connecting and sharing during a cancer journey

Anyone with cancer, their caregivers, families, and friends, can benefit from help and support. The American Cancer Society partners with CaringBridge, a free online tool that helps people dealing with illnesses like cancer stay in touch with their friends, family members, and support network by creating their own personal page where they share their journey and health updates.   

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Developed by the American Cancer Society medical and editorial content team with medical review and contribution by the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO).

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American Medical Association. AMA Caregiver Self-Assessment Questionnaire. Accessed at https://www.healthinaging.org/tools-and-tips/caregiver-self-assessment-questionnaire on July 13, 2026.

Cochrane A, Reid O, Woods S, Gallagher P, Dunne S. Variables associated with distress amongst informal caregivers of people with lung cancer: A systematic review of the literature. Psycho-Oncology. 2021; 30(8): 1246–1261.

Day JR, Anderson RA. Compassion fatigue: An application of the concept to informal caregivers of family members with dementia. Nurs Res Pract. 2011; 408024. doi:1155/2011/409035

Jadalla A, Ginex PK, Coleman M, et al. Family caregiver strain and burden: A systematic review of evidence-based interventions when caring for patients with cancer. Clinical Journal of Oncology Nursing. 2020; 24(1):31–50.

National Cancer Institute (NCI). Informal caregivers in cancer (PDQ)- patient version. Updated February 12, 2025. Accessed from https://www.cancer.gov/about-cancer/coping/family-friends/family-caregivers-pdq#_130 on July 13, 2026.

National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN). NCCN Clinical practice guidelines in oncology (NCCN Guidelines) Distress Management v2.2026. Accessed at www.nccn.org on July 13, 2026.

National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN). NCCN Clinical practice guidelines in oncology (NCCN Guidelines) Older Adult Oncology v1.2026. Accessed at www.nccn.org on July 13, 2026.

Orbay I, Baydur H, Uçan G. Compassion fatigue in informal caregivers of children with cancer. Social Work in Public Health. 2022;37(8):729–743

Last Revised: July 27, 2026

American Cancer Society medical information is copyrighted material. For reprint requests, please see our Content Usage Policy.

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