"Burnout" has developed into one of the most popular conceptions of the 21th century. Due to its diffuse definition and the inflationary use of the concept, it is often criticized as a "trendy diagnosis". Furthermore, the growing interest in "burnout" is associated with the mass media coverage. Because of the missing standardized diagnosis and, simultaneously, the growth of the number of persons concerned with "burnout", the potential influence of the media could be a critical issue. This possible influence is the starting point of the study. It aims to show systematically the emergence of the mass media phenomenon "burnout" by describing the characteristics of the media coverage, which could contribute to the attraction and distribution of the phenomenon and thereby could influence the social reality of "Burnout".