“I ended up in the ER,” says a senior communications director in his late 30s who works in the public sector, describing waking from a nightmare with chest pains, pins and needles in his left arm, and being short of breath. He was convinced he was having a heart attack. The director, who requested anonymity given the public-facing nature of his role, told Fortune that a doctor diagnosed him with a panic attack, while his therapist suggested it was related to burnout from stress at work, while stopping short of making that diagnosis.
“Essentially, he said, ‘Your org has culpability, they have done this to you.’”
