The concept of consumptive disease in Donguibogam is very closely linked in modern medicine to burnout syndrome, emotional exhaustion, and compassion fatigue. When emotional labor persists, our body enters a state of chronic stress. During this time, the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis in our brain becomes hyperactivated, continuously secreting the stress hormone cortisol. While an appropriate amount of cortisol is beneficial, chronically elevated levels become toxic to both body and mind.
Such chronic stress affects various parts of the brain. First, the function of the prefrontal cortex, which handles emotional regulation, empathy, and decision-making, declines. Due to this, the ability to understand others' feelings and respond appropriately diminishes, leading at times to numbness or becoming more easily irritated. In addition, the amygdala, which processes fear and anxiety, becomes hyperactivated, causing sensitive reactions even to small stimuli and making one easily feel anxious. The hippocampus, which plays an important role in memory, learning, and mood regulation, can atrophy, potentially leading to depression and impaired memory.
Neurotransmitter imbalances are also serious. As serotonin, which brings a sense of happiness and stability; dopamine, responsible for motivation and reward; and norepinephrine, which regulates arousal and concentration, become depleted, lethargy, anhedonia, depression, and impaired concentration appear. Because the sympathetic nervous system, which keeps the body in a constant state of tension, becomes dominant, one fatigues easily, finds it difficult to fall asleep, and experiences physical symptoms such as indigestion or chronic pain.
These combined changes ultimately maximize emotional drain, deepen emotional exhaustion, and cause a decline in empathy that makes one indifferent toward oneself and others. In the end, one falls into a vicious cycle leading to social avoidance—where meeting people feels overwhelming—or deep depression. Modern medicine describes this process as a state of psychological and physiological burnout resulting from emotional labor, scientifically demonstrating that Donguibogam's consumptive disease signified not mere fatigue, but a profound exhaustion of the entire body and mind.
