This article argues that clear diagnostic criteria for clinical burnout are urgently needed, given the rising prevalence of stress-related mental health problems and the lack of consistent standards across countries. It distinguishes between mild, subclinical symptoms and severe, disabling burnout, emphasizing that burnout develops gradually along a continuum. Drawing on Dutch and Swedish approaches, a staged model is proposed with early risk, advanced risk, clinical burnout, and recuperation phases. Central features of clinical burnout include prolonged stress exposure, severe exhaustion, cognitive dysfunction, and significant functional impairment, while other medical or psychiatric conditions must be excluded. The proposed framework aims to balance prevention and treatment, avoiding overmedicalization while ensuring adequate care, and to improve research comparability and practical decision-making in occupational health (download the full paper).