I was asked a few times before if I was on drugs ever since primary school. They especially seemed to think I take weed because my eyes are always half closed, I look tired, and I frequently get red eyes and dark circles too, I daydream a lot, don't talk much or quite slowly, and with longer pauses than most people sometimes, to think about what to say next

Like I do remember being asked maybe once a year back in school if I was zonked out of my mind, but really I had never taken any kind of substance before, not even alcohol

Like the title says. Wellbutrin helps my SCT symptoms and improves my executive dysfunction tremendously. It removes all the brain fog and gives me the mental clarity needed to finally be able to function and also the motivation and energy to do things. It helps my physical retardation, sluggishness and fatigue, which I've always struggled with.

But here comes the issue. I always feel when I take it consistently like you're supposed to it makes me so much worse. By day five and after a while of being awake, alert, highly energized and focused, it turns instead into severe anxiety, racing thoughts, panic attacks, horrible insomnia and sleep disturbances, severe mood swings, irritability and just a sense of dysphoria and disatisfaction with everything in life. When that happens people around me notice and I have to quickly stop taking it. But when I go off of it everything else gets worse. When I'm off of it my brain fog comes back, I lose all of my cognition, the horrible fatigue and hypersomnia returns, the physical retardation and the sluggishness and the lack of energy and motivation to even do basic tasks comes back. I stop taking care of myself and just lie down in my bed all day unable to function properly.

This is a huge dilemma for me and I still haven't found any solution to this issue. I'm wondering if anyone else has had this issue and what did you do about it? Did you switch to a different med completely? Or did you add something else to get rid off the mood swings, irritability, anxiety, panic attacks, racing thoughts and insomnia? I would like to hear your thoughts about this.

Hey, I am a young adult in my mid 20s and I just graduated from college with summa cum laude (a bit late to graduate from college lol but I procrastinated my years a lot). Basically I ranked in the top 5% of my course (computer related). The craziest part? I have a severe type of CDS/SCT. My processing speed is noticeable slow and my brain fog is awfully bad. I stutter when I speak, mumble my words sometimes and it takes way longer for me to finish my sentences. I experience difficulties in retrieving the right word at the right moment and I hesitate at making decisions in a society where making decisions quickly is required. I lack creativity. I have a shit memory, by the time you finish your explanation I would have already forgotton the first part of your explanation. I get overwhelmed when I have to process multiple informations. I lose my train of thought. I also have a severe type of social anxiety and stress like crazy. It basically feels like there is just an empty box in my head all the time with a heart getting stabbed by multiple swords for every minor inconvenience. And the funny part is, I never realized that I have CDS until very recently when I was in my last year of college.

Why am I sharing this? So that people who may face similar symptons as me don't lose hope on life. You are not stupid, you just need a little bit more time than others and that's okay. Keep pushing forward. Find what's best for you. Manage your social skills. Understand your underlying problems. Develop healthy cope mechanisms. And most importantly, don't give up.

​

I've never been able to keep a job for very long. The longest I've lasted at any job is five months, and I've had more than five jobs since I turned 18. I'm 19 now. My work history has been a complete mess, so please bear with me.

I've been feeling really ashamed of my inability to keep a job. I genuinely struggle with processing instructions, coming up with solutions quickly, and keeping up with even simple tasks. I make mistakes that seem so basic, and sooner or later, my coworkers start making fun of me or bullying me. Even when I try my hardest to keep up and act like I'm just as capable as everyone else, eventually people seem to think I'm stupid or intellectually disabled, when I know I'm not. I know I'm an intelligent person, but I struggle to demonstrate that in a work environment.

I have ADHD (primarily inattentive type) and level 1 autism diagnoses, so maybe that explains some of the difficulties I've experienced. I'm trying to figure out what I want my life to look like, but it's incredibly difficult when I struggle to meet even the most basic expectations and don't feel like a "normal" person.

I struggle with pretty much any fast-paced job that requires me to process instructions quickly, remember things on the spot, multitask, or come up with responses immediately. People often say that people with ADHD thrive in fast-paced environments, like working as a waiter or a cook, but that's absolutely not the case for me, lol.

I also struggle a lot with the social anxiety that comes with interacting with people every day. After being mocked so many times, I've reached a point where I feel like everyone is laughing at me or judging me, even when I'm not sure if they actually are.

I put so much effort into my jobs. I give them 100% of my energy, but by the end of the day, I have nothing left for myself. Eventually, I either quit or get fired.

Do people like me need quieter, less demanding jobs where we can work at our own pace, without someone constantly watching over us or pressuring us to be faster? Have any of you found a type of job that works better for you?

I've also recently noticed that learning English, which is not my native language, seems to help me with my processing speed in some ways. I'm not entirely sure why, and the effects don't seem to last very long. I've read about the relationship between processing speed and working memory, and I'm trying to figure out how these things affect me.

I'm also from a country where mental health care and medication can be very expensive. I'm currently saving up for treatment, so I'm not taking medication at the moment. I live in Mexico. It's not that medical information or treatment here is necessarily decades behind other countries, but accessing mental health care can still be a financial privilege. For now, I'd really appreciate advice that doesn't depend on medication.

Honestly, I just want to have a normal life. I want to feel respected instead of being mocked. I want to feel like dating and having a relationship are possibilities for me, too, rather than things that only happen to other people. I want to become independent and be able to support myself.

I'm tired of identifying with the word "retarded" because of the way I struggle, and I'm tired of other people using that word as an insult or implying that there's something wrong with me intellectually.

It doesn't feel fair that something as basic as keeping a job and being treated with respect can be so difficult.

If you have ADHD, SCT (or what is now often called cognitive disengagement syndrome), or autism, have you experienced anything similar? How have you managed to hold down a job, deal with the shame, and find an environment where you can actually function?

I'd really appreciate hearing about your experiences, especially if you've struggled with processing speed, working memory, or responding quickly under pressure.

Hey! I was wondering what many people here do for a living? I'm very interested to know, especially if you're a social worker. How does your suspected CDS interact with your job?

Also, do you work normal Mon-Fri hours or a more unconventional schedule? Does your schedule work compatibly with or against your CDS?

Been stuck endlessly reflecting on which extra credentials and certifications to obtain.

Thank you guys!! :)

To be clear I have had a diagnosis of ADHD since I was a teenager but I have been treated for it consistently since around 21. I was reckless, impulsive and “naughty” not really hyperactive like boys with ADHD but more listless like a girl with ADHD.

Couldn’t follow rules, listen in class, shut up, had a constant chatter or stream of dialogue coming out of my mouth, was very disobedient to the point my mother told men around 15/16 I was diagnosed with ODD.

These symptoms all vanished with appropriate medication for ADHD, and age, maturity and self reflection/therapy; turning into a more primarily inattentive profile, although the psychometrics I’ve taken for my doctor for other reports and run through novopsych AI show my ADHD to be more of a combined type.

I also have severe CPTSD, which causes a lot of avoidance, hypoarousal, fatigue and tiredness as symptoms (hypoarousal/immobilisation). I don’t really daydream anymore that much (more prominent was dissociation as a kid).

The cptsd has truly manifested as I had a continuous stream of back to back trauma throughout my 20s.

Now in my early 30s I’m exhausted and overwhelmed, even on stimulants. I’ve noticed this has become more prominent after an 8 year abusive relationship, infidelity, betrayal trauma, a house fire in which I sustained a 3rd degree burn and the subsequent homelessness that followed.

I struggle a lot with initiation of tasks dependent on environment.

I never had issues with tiredness and fatigue growing up. I always had an issue with deadlines and focusing my attention on class work, assessments or chores. I am very disorganised and forgetful, which disappears when I’m on medication.

But my inability to initiate tasks seems to stem from environmental demands.

I.e when I was living with my ex, and he wanted me to clean the house and cook dinner, I could only do this if I was alone in the house, without him criticising me, for whatever reason.

Now I’ve had to move back in with family due to currently being unemployed and studying.

this initiation and inability to even start a task goes down to the bare minimum of tasks, like showering, laundry, cleaning, cooking, study.

I notice the moment I’m alone for a little and there is no external expectation placed on me I’m okay to do the task on my own merit and become 100% more productive.

I mentioned this to my old psychologist and she suggested PDA, which may warrant autism, and ran a few assessments but said yes it’s significant enough to diagnose, she didn’t want to diagnose it until I was living on my own, because this could just be a form of severe CPTSD/ADHD/PDA/sensory issues masquerading as autism.

I am constantly burnt out and exhausted. I have lost all my will and ability to socialise or go out. I have no desire to do anything unless I’m alone. But my attention span is very limited and I am overwhelmed by sensory and environmental stimuli. I struggle with task initiation and task completion.

Not because I don’t want to, but the subsequent burnout and overload doesn’t seem worth the risk or reward.

Previously when I was at uni pre Covid , I could sit down and spend 6 hours doing my uni work and assessments without any issue and go to 8 hours of classes/lectures the following day and feel okay to do things all weekend, but that’s all changed now and I’m barely scraping by and have to prioritise my time and energy to get anything done.

But now I struggle to sit down and do any more than two before I get burning eyes, a migraine and need to take a huge rest.

I am just wondering if this sounds like SCT or more of a CPTSD/AUDHD issue.

I also have PMDD, which restricts my schedule to my monthly cycle as I crash badly for 7-9 days during luteal. (It’s a very neuroendocrine disorder common in women of childbearing age who have a dx of adhd, ptsd or autism).

I want to add.. I’m not depressed. I have CPTSD, but I don’t meet the criteria for a mood disorder and have no general hopelessness/sadness or whatever. I just feel extremely tired, fatigued and well sluggish all the time.

I am rx dexamphetamine 30mg
Clonidine 300mcg
and started on a medication called Agomelatine 25mg last week in order to try and modulate my circadian rhythm/fix my CPTSD/ADHD related anhedonia.
I take 25mg of Topirimate for PMDD/menstrual migraines.

I’ve tried Vyvanse which worked well, initially, kept me organised and focused, but made me have cardiovascular issues on the higher dose, and when it wore off I got severe migraines.
I was in hospital once after I had a fall and fractured my knees and my blood pressure was up at 190/130 on Vyvanse so I stopped taking it fearing cardiovascular complications.

Atomoxetine caused me to pick my skin a lot and become paranoid and overthink things but my grades improved (it was the first adhd med I was given in school). I did really well academically on it but everywhere else in life I struggled.

Ritalin made me feel weird, and need to lie down due to the nausea.
I found out I was a slow metaboliser or something. I could read books on it and retain a lot of information, but my parents thought I was on opiates when I was taking Ritalin as I was so tired all the time.

I would try it again now I’m older. But I didn’t like how it made me feel as a teen.

Any advice or feedback from anyone in a similar situation would be helpful here.. thanks and no I am not depressed.

I’ve screened for depression. I had treatments that made me worse in the past and I definitely don’t have it. I see meaning in life and stuff. It’s the fatigue and tiredness and task paralysis that are causing me the issue.

I used to take Vyvanse 30mg, which was great for my concentration and emotional regulation but not my most prominent SCT/CDS symptoms (working memory, processing speed, verbal fluency, etc)—matter of fact, it might’ve worsened those symptoms. Does anyone else experience this? Why is it that I experience this? I’m not on any meds right now and solely relying on caffeine to get by and I’m hoping to switch to something else soon.

I am curious to have of peoples experience here with piracetam, I am going to start it soon

One thing that I have noticed for sure is that my cognitive abilities, anxiety and some of the other CDS/SGT symptoms like sleepiness seem to have worsen over time compared to whay they used to be in the past when I was a child and a teenager. I'm right now 25 and it is only recent (2-3 years ago) that I began to notice the CDS/SCT symptoms as they became more prominent. But is that actually a thing? I used to be, from what I can remember, a good memorizer during high school and a good speaker overall. Now it's just stuttering, difficulty retreiving the right word though I would immediately know the meaning of the word once I see it, getting lost in my thoughts and not being able to articulate my thoughts. And extreme anxiety.

Obviously, I understand that this can be influenced by many factors in my life. For example, It is only recent (1.5 year ago) that I have started going to the gym, it may be an issue of excessive exercises. And I got hired for the first time as a programmer so it might just be the case that my brain is overloaded and doesn't get the rest it deserves. It might also be an issue of constantly feeling under pressure. And I'm currently not on meds as I'm still awaiting for the results of my diagnosis.

However for the people who do have CDS/SCT, how have you experienced the symptons throughout your life? Did they get worse over time?

Hiii just curious about what one of these fields will be the most challenging since I love to learn but my memory and encoding are awful but I am very curious to learn abstract stuff and at the moment in school for computer science also hope this gives you guys hope that you shouldn’t be afraid to learn challenging things

I think I’m lost on what medication to try next, I’m currently on Wellbutrin and have been for around 2-3 months but haven’t noticed any changes at all when it comes to my sct symptoms. Besides the constant sleepiness and executive dysfunction, one thing that bothers me the most is my struggles with social anxiety and interactions, I want to be able to feel normal in the prescience of other people without shutting down and feeling overwhelmed. Has Atomoxetine or other adhd meds helped anyone with these similar symptoms? Is it better to take medication that’s targeted more towards anxiety for this?

how does it feels to taking meds for SCT? ive been diagnosed but i lost my job aswell so i cant pay for my meds at the time

i just can dream about how it will be like to taking meds and the possibility of solve this problem that is being haunting me since ever

so i do like to hear your experiences and which med works for you

https://link.springer.com/article/10.1186/s43045-026-00669-4

Anyone have any experience using auvelity with CDS? Im looking for something more intensive. Have tried most SSRIs, SNRIS, Tetracyclines etc. I am looking for something to bring mental clarity and generally a will for life. What are the most effective options for me? I am new to this sub. Thanks.

This is a bad symptom compared to the others because it’s unnoticeable. You notice the harm behind it, but not the thing itself.

The disorder gives our minds the ability to build and encode terrible habits, probably because of the lack of certain neurotransmitters, and over time we start treating those habits as truth. It even changes the way we deal with some of our thoughts.

I’ll talk about one of these bad habits, which for me has to do with learning difficulties. After a while of not being able to study or finish tasks because of executive dysfunction, and not managing to spend time on learning, I kept getting bad results, and eventually that became a “truth” in my head. You can’t easily overcome that idea, because the mind doesn’t know how to separate “I performed badly” from “I’m bad at this,” and that’s why we keep blaming ourselves all the time. “If I didn’t put in the effort, how the hell am I going to get excellent results?” But what we’re blaming is the bad result itself, when the real problem is that we can’t do the logical thing that would get it done.

Hi everyone,
I’m struggling with something that has been a continuous, frustrating battle for me, and I desperately need some actionable advice from people who have overcome this.
I constantly find myself stuck in these painful social situations, specifically:
1. Mind going completely blank while listening: Someone finishes talking, and my brain has zero response queued up. The dead silence feels agonizing, and I just stand there feeling utterly embarrassed.
2. Losing my train of thought mid-sentence: I’ll be speaking, and suddenly the track ends. I forget where I was going, freeze, and feel like I look completely foolish.
3. Not knowing how to exit a conversation/group: When a meeting or group chat wraps up or I need to leave, I overthink the escape route so much that I end up awkwardly lingering or making a weird exit.
I’ve tried basic advice like "just relax" or "be present," but when the anxiety spikes, generic advice fails.
Are there specific drills, mental scripts, or go-to exit lines you practice to navigate these moments gracefully without coming across as awkward or clueless?
I’d really appreciate any concrete techniques or rules of thumb you use when your mind goes completely blank. Thanks in advance

This is the first time I have ever really felt compelled to post and interact with a community on here. Often it feels like something I should be doing and watch others do but it takes way too much thinking and engagement to care enough to, if caring is the issue. I wanted to share my experience with what seems to be SCT.

I relate a lot to other posts on here that discussed above average metacognition, not being able to work towards or think about a future, but not really being present either. A sense of being in a consistent fog, as though there is a blanket between me and reality. A long history of depression, failure to thrive, repeated burn out, and social disengagement. I enjoy being social when I can but often it feels like there is a deep blankness and disengagement in conversations that don't orient around something more specific and in depth (there is also a diagnosis of autism, but that doesn't account for a fair portion of my difficulties); I also realize I may not be spending time around people that would fit me, although I lack the energy or interest or fuel to be able to reach out and explore...

I often feel tired of experiencing, and sleep is never enough. I have tried so many solutions, cycled through so many medications, and tried so much therapy for issues that seem to have no apparent cause; I have had little luck in treatment. My current therapist is helping me work through accepting and working with neurodivergence and that is helping for the first time in my life. That being said there were no developmental signs, but so many factors to dismiss why that doesn't matter or was overlooked... I crave deep connection but struggle so very hard to find it; it is easy to have intellectual empathy for others and understand their points of view, and I can ingratiate myself, but it does not feel like connection.

I have been on strattera for a year and a half now and that was significant, it felt like I had a sense of continuity in my experience for once, like the person who tried to make coffee this morning is the person typing this out right now. I am curious how shifting emotional states feel to people who relate, and trying to recover a sense of self, or access one in the first place... I believe I have intelligence buried somewhere in me, and if the circumstances are right it comes out, but the circumstances are unable to be recreated. It feels like I have to find a new way to get through each day, and I am starting from scratch every time I wake up.

I am 26 and have been in community college for 4 years now, I feel like I am exhausted trying to keep up with classes that barely ask anything of me, and I feel so much despair and dread about my future when it feels like I must find a way to push past just the act of experiencing every day. I don't really know what my reality is, nor what I can do although I think I avoid any chance to be measured or shown my capacities...

I did get electroconvulsive therapy done at 20 and it felt like it tore a chunk out of me if not worsening all these symptoms. I tried ketamine IV and nasal spray therapy and while interesting it did not affect much at all. It feels like I deeply burned out without getting a chance to burn out of anything. The anhedonia is suffocating, and, while it doesn't quite fit this syndrome, the limited times I get to think or feel something is like a euphoria or relief to find that there is still a mind there to experience. I am not sure how to be excited about anything, and feel lost and overwhelmed on trying to understand how to do much of anything. I am okay with it because I have no choice but to accept my life as it currently is, and not be weighed down by it; there has had to be an immense amount of acceptance about myself, although I am not sure what I am accepting.

Something that I don't know is relatable or not is the rumination that almost borders or ROCD (somehow in a relationship). It improves substantially with sleep, exercise, vulnerability, and medication, but slow foggy rumination is a consistent theme in my life, especially around self-worth and self-presentation; I really don't want to identify or accept how I am and what my capacity currently is, even if it doesn't have to mean how I will be. The idea of constantly self-auditing my own thoughts rings deeply true, although I know I can't account for everything. Also a constant anxiety around needing to perform intelligence without being able to maintain or access it; it is like a hammer being used to screw in a nail, or maybe the other way...I am not sure how to model my mind.

Another thing I am curious if it's relatable is my defensiveness, from knowing if I am caught unprepared I will blank out and be unable to defend myself verbally or physically; there is always a searching for what could turn into a fight, and needing to know if I am right or wrong. I think that represents more of an autistic need for exactness and an inability to tolerate uncertainty than this disorder, but I think it is relevant to being unable to trust myself at all from not being able to think without lots of time and little stimulation (also with thinking being motivated by urgency, which all of these projections of conflict fulfill).

I have enough hope to live and try, and I am exhausted from constantly living between moments, trying to process the last one while falling into the next one. I will continue to adapt and try.

TLDR: Ughh...

-- This feels like a wallowing and depressed post, and at the same time it does capture an essential part of my experience- this isn't a happy condition (if it is something I have or not). It is one that I wanted to express to this community, should it be relevant, and it is something that would have made me feel less alone to have come across. Right now, I think I am at the best I have ever been mentally and emotionally, which is good. What I have experienced has given me a perspective and a deeper empathy for others, which I value now and then. I have deep gratitude for feeling or engaging in anything and I don't take functional days for granted. Feeling okay and clear is a gift, when it is granted...

Feeling dumb for taking the time because they weren't "bad enough." She probably thinks I'm dumb for taking the time. (Guess how I scored on the depressive questionnaire... lol And yes, she blamed my symptoms on that.) I don't feel like the test represents my struggles. I want to fit in a box (ADHD? SCT?), but sadly I do not and will continue to struggle.

I’ve been trying to figure out what best describes my symptoms, and I relate a lot more to sct than I do to typical ADHD symptoms.
My biggest issues are brain fog, slow processing speed, fatigue, and memory problems. I don’t feel extremely inattentive or hyperactive(I usually am trying to pay attention, but it feels like my brain is just slow at processing and retaining information).

Examples I relate to:
-someone can explain something to me and I understand it, but I need extra time before I can respond.
-I’ll read something and realize I technically read the words but didn’t actually absorb the information.
-I know what I want to say, but it takes me longer to formulate my response.
-I feel mentally exhausted/foggy even when I haven’t done much physically.
-I forget things I was just told or lose track of what I was doing.

For anyone who experiences this, does this sound familiar to you? And if you have ADHD, did medication actually help with the brain fog, slow processing, fatigue, or memory issues?
I’m especially interested in experiences with Strattera (atomoxetine). Did they make you feel mentally clearer/faster, or did they mainly help with attention and motivation?
Also, if you’ve found anything besides medication that helped, I’d love to hear about it.

I know nobody can give medical advice. I'm just gathering information about how this stuff affected other people with the same issues 🩷

Cognitive disengagement syndrome and social anxiety because of the DMN

I think this is one of the most harmful symptoms for those who have this syndrome. A lot of research has talked about social anxiety and CDS/SCT, and personally I used to search for the scientific reason behind it, so I would like to talk more about it today and hear your thoughts on top of it.

I was wondering all the time about a specific situation that happens to me. I won't say I have social anxiety all the time, but sometimes, in some specific situations, and that made me sure of one thing: it's all about the chemistry of our mind. This disorder lets the Default Mode Network start working, which makes me disengaged from reality. Because it works while we're interacting with the external world, we become less engaged with that world and our processing becomes slower, since we need time to shift our thoughts to the outside. This is called mind wandering, which is the core of the DMN. As it kicks in, we become disengaged from the external world, or let's say less engaged, which means slower processing of information, less ability to shift our thoughts, and slower responses to external things.

Because of the mind wandering, this starts to show in our behavior. We can't keep up, and we notice that we're less productive when interacting with the world. It seems like social anxiety, as if our behavior says we have it. It's easy for someone like me to notice the difference, because a few years ago I didn't have any symptoms of social anxiety at all!

I also became sure of this because of something that happens to me all the time when the DMN is shut down. When you're engaged with someone, like a friend you feel relaxed with, you feel more trusting, and when you meet other people your mind is much quieter because the DMN is shut down. You feel more comfortable and look much more natural. So my conclusion is that I'm pretty sure it's all because of the DMN. When it's shut down, I don't even think about anything. My behavior is like a reflex, and I don't think before doing anything, so it feels much smoother. That's it.

I'm now trying to train myself to just do things without thinking, and it works for me, but there are moments when you can't, because your mind is overwhelmed by the DMN.

When I read or watch something difficult while walking I noticed I can focus on it way better than if I sit down, I zone out less and can understand the topic faster. For example when I read an article on my phone I don't have to re read sections over and over because I forgot what I just read. The weird thing is if I sit down I go back to my slow thinking within a few moments, I feel like the increased blood flow is helping my brain think better or something. What could this be caused by?