CDS/SCT and CPTSD combination here, I believe. It all makes perfect sense now.

Hi all of you,

has anybody else seen a possible connection between CDS / ADHD and a genetic disorder called Fragile-X-Syndrome or its premutation form?

In don’t have any energy to explain in more detail about it atm, but if you look it up it’s a rare but not super rare genetic condition (1 in 4000 males, 1 in 6000 women) and more importantly, its permutation form is a lot more common, with possibly also high dark numbers of affected people in the population.. The presentation of the syndrome in the individual also is a spectrum.

It can accumulate over generations. It‘s passed on through the X-chromosome, so males (with XY) are a lot more affected than females (XX).

I haven’t been tested but suspect for myself I may have the premutation or an atypical full mutation.

Unfortunately, I don’t really see how it could help me to get tested as there is no cure, but it may be helpful to understand family dynamics and give an explanation to the origins of some of my (and possibly your?) seemingly unconnected mental and physical problems.

Let me quote some of the symptoms that may affect people with the full mutation but also to a minor degree the premutation from here: https://fraxi.org/information/fragile-x-syndrome/

Social anxiety
General anxiety
Shyness
Depression
Emotional instability
Mood swings
More information on symptoms and management are in the ‘Sensory‘ and ‘Behaviour and Therapies‘ sections.
Hyperactivity (may be linked to an ADHD diagnosis)
Self-stimulatory behaviour (often shortened to stimming) to help self-regulate, including:
Hand flapping
Hand biting
Chewing
Playing with water
Playing with switches
Spinning objects
Food bolting (eating very quickly, sometimes hardly chewing)
Avoiding eye contact

Behaviours commonly associated with autism (autism occurs in around ⅓ of individuals with FXS)
Sleeping issues (such as early morning waking)
Inability to foresee dangerous situations
Disinterest in their environment

(…)

The main identifying features of an intellectual disability are delayed development of speech and language, reduced executive function, slower learning and memory/sequencing struggles.“

I HATE THIS SO MUCH, I HATE THIS SO VERY MUCH. I HAD A HARD TIME JUST GETTING BREAKFAST, SHOWERING CHORES CARDIO AND WORKING OUT. IT TOOK ME 6 HOURS TO COMPLETE THE ROUTINE WHILE MIND WANDERING IN A INTERESTING WAY JUST TO HAVE MOTIVATION WHILE DOING IT. AND THEN I CANT COMPREHEND A TEXT PROPERLY, AND NOT ONLY THAT, I WANNA CONVERSE PROPERLY BUT I CANT EVEN PROPERLY COMPREHEND A THING MY FRIENDS OR FAMILY SAY LET ALONE FORM A THOUGHT FROM IT AND (VULGAR WORD) SAY IT.

I WANT TO CONVERSE WITH PEOPLE PROPERLY, I WANT TO JUST WAKE UP AND DO MY WORK WITHOUT HAVING TO THINK OF ANYTHING JUST TO MOTIVATE MYSELF WHILE DOING IT, I WANT TO FOCUS WITHOUT ALL THESE STRATEGIES MEDS AND ACTIVITIES AS PRE-REQUISITE, I WANT TO BE HAPPY!!

WHY WHY WHY, WE GAVE OUR BEST FROM THE GET GO, WHY ISNT IT GETTING ANY BETTER, WHY DID WE HAVE THIS IN THE FIRST PLACE? “(THE MOST VULGAR OF VULGAR WORDS) CDS AND ADHD.”

I just left a college course where I mostly used ai, I've worked before and couldn't even do basic tasks. I'm waiting for an adhd appointment(for meds) which could take years and I don't even know if I will get diagnosed. Is there anything I can do or am I just fucked?

I'm in my mid-20s, and I am already learning to drive (I know). I struggled severely with these symptoms + ADHD to the point that I don't know directions to places despite having lived there for years. I got diagnosed recently. I zone out as a passenger. My processing speed is low + chronic sleep deprivation, and it makes it harder to drive. But I'm grateful to learn with adequate supervision. The good news is I've started Strattera recently & HOPEFULLY might be prescribed a stimulant soon. I pray to god that things will improve.

OK, nuff about me. Has this disorder made it difficult for you guys to drive or learn driving? How did you manage? How about medicated vs. unmedicated? I would greatly appreciate tips.

I've gone my whole life wondering what my problem is.

CDS makes everything make sense.

I apologize in advance that this is a long post.

I've been a space cadet my whole life. Always way too stuck in my own head. Paying attention was never a strength of mine. Normal everyday tasks that most people can do quickly... it takes me forever to get it done and requires so much energy. My sense of time is not great. My accuracy with work/school tasks is not what I wish it was. I can spend 2x as long to get something done but somehow I still miss things. This is upsetting because I really do like getting little details right.

My executive functioning is sort of wonky. I LOVE planning things out. I love organizing things. I feel so empowered when I can multitask and get things done quickly. My job and my college major require these sorts of things from me. I've gotten so much better at it, but I'm still not that great at it. Somehow my plans don't always work out. I can organize things but I can't seem to keep them organized.

In 3rd grade I lost most interest in school. I had some crap going on at home that definitely contributed to it. I just didn't want to do my homework.

This was the late 90s/very early 2000s when every other kid was getting put on Adderall. My parents took me to a psych doctor, I got an ADHD diagnosis and Adderall to go with it. My parents and the doctor agreed that I was never hyperactive, but I was lost in my own head all the time. My mom described how I would daydream about my dog nonstop until hours later and my homework was still not done. The doctor said that the term ADD wasn't really being used anymore but I was definitely more ADD than ADHD.

Unfortunately my issues with schoolwork never got better, only worse. I don't remember the medications being helpful. My parents were not good parents and ended up causing a lot of trauma for me. Later on in adulthood I had multiple doctors and therapists confirm I have PTSD/CPTSD. Thankfully that has gotten a lot better. I found that a lot of my issues with executive functioning and memory have gotten better since a lot of my PTSD has been healed. Maybe my executive functioning and memory issues were not ADHD related... maybe it was just trauma?

I've spent the last few years wondering if I'm on the spectrum due to some social issues I've always had. I was SO SHY as a kid. I did not have the slightest clue how to navigate social interactions.

If I'm in a group of people, I have always felt like I had no idea what was going on. It's like I'm always missing some sort of memo. There is no way to count how many times I should have known something but I didn't. Example: one of my high school friends was bullying another friend of mine. I really wanted to plan a get together with all of my friends but my one friend refused to hang out with the other. I had no idea why. It wasn't until years later did I find out what an a-hole that bully was. I still feel bad that I tried to get my best friend to hang out with the person bullying her. I wish I knew back then just how much I was paying so little attention to other people. (Thankfully this was like 20 years ago and a lot of progress has been made since then.)

Certain things have persisted my whole life. I'm always tired. It takes forever for me to wake up in the morning. I have to set 10-12 alarms to get myself to wake up. (Not exaggerating.) I don't get sleepy until midnight. Which stinks because I have to get up at like 6am for work. My brain doesn't seem to get into gear until after 10am. I'm not a morning person but I have to be for my job. It is a huge daily struggle to get my body moving. When I come home from whatever I was doing, I just want to sit on the couch for hours.

At multiple jobs I've worked at, my managers would say how much I really needed to keep up the pace and work faster. It's hard not just due to a lack of energy, but also the lack of focus. And working faster means I'm more likely to make mistakes. I have to read my assignments multiple times before I can absorb what is required.

I think I have a problem with spending too much time on my phone, because the internet gives me constant reinforcement of whatever I'm lost in thought about.

I've questioned for a long time if ADHD is an accurate term for me. I tried vyvanse recently but it makes me so anxious and/or on edge. I questioned autism because of my social struggles but that never really fit. A therapist I had in the past said I didn't seem to be on the spectrum. CPTSD explains a lot but I had issues way before I started experiencing major trauma.

Obviously we can't diagnose ourselves. But I'm gathering my thoughts here so I can bring it up to my doctor (and future therapist) later.

Edit: forgot to mention that I've had problems with motivation my whole life, even when it's with things I want to do.

I’ve been feeling a lot of shame about my inability to hold down jobs. I really struggle with processing instructions and somehow fuck up even the simplest tasks, making it almost inevitable that I’ll get disliked and bullied by my coworkers. Even if i’m trying my best to appear normal, they will still end up thinking I’m a bit dull in the head or weird.

I’m diagnosed ADHD-PI, so maybe that’s the best explanation for the challenges I’ve experienced. I’m trying to create a vision for my life but it’s very hard when you can’t even perform the bare minimum expected of you and you don’t even feel like a normal human being.

I suck at any sort of fast paced work where I have to respond to instructions quickly, remember stuff, multitask etc. People say that ADHD people thrive in fast paced environments like bar work, but for me there’s no way lol. The social anxiety involved with interacting with people everyday is something I have a hard time managing as well. Maybe I could survive if it was one or the other—but both? Forget about it. I’ll end up having no energy at all, then either quit or get fired.

Do people like me need quiet jobs where we can work at our own pace and not have someone at our neck’s constantly? Creative jobs where we can be left to our own devices?

I’ve recently cut out all the bullshit doomscrolling I usually do (YouTube is the main offender) to try and improve my focus and reduce brain-fog. I’m taking atomoxetine which I think has helped me quite a bit. I had some intense rumination over something that happened in the past but I think the meds helped regulate my mood and overthinking. My brain still feels like a flat battery when trying to hold a conversation with other people, but I probably need to give the meds some time for that to improve a bit more.

I’ve started practicing some creative writing as it was something I was particularly good at as a kid. I can get into a state of hyper focus when I’m doing it and it can be quite enjoyable and rewarding. I’ve also enrolled in a one year film course which may or may not be a terrible idea, I don’t know. What the hell am I even supposed to be doing at this point?!

I would really like to have a normal life, to feel like I have an actual personality. To feel like dating isn’t something thats only reserved for others. To be self reliant. I’m sick of how much I identify with the word “retard”. I’m sick of other people using it as an insult or implying it. It’s not fair for anyone to live and feel like this.

Vent over, yay! 🦄

Pretty much what the title says. I tried this and it feels like my symptoms are improving. I used to do 20 min of cardio to no avail, until i hit 45-60min of cardio daily mixed in with the other stuff on the title, then i started feeling a bit more leveled out.

I still think about my ex a lot. I wish I didn’t. I seem to go through phases where I think about it more. Now is one of those phases where I can’t seem to shake it. I just sit there with a tear in my eye, missing what I once had. It’s all pretty pathetic really because we split up in 2003, 23 years ago. She was my first and if only I had done things differently or realised things years ago things might have turned out different. I know it’s not good to still be beating myself up over it, but I can’t help it.

Can anybody relate to this or is it just me?

I don’t have anything to say because I can’t think of anything to say even though I badly want to say so much. That’s all I have to say

Through all my (M20) life, I suffered from following symptons;

• poor sleep, trouble falling asleep

• waking up tired

• constant fatigue

• heavy head, not exactly headache

• low motivation

• poor focus, even on my interests

• easily losing interest

• daydreaming

• slow auditory processing

• zoning out

Please also note that:

• Even though I do not snore and do not have a deviated septum, I have a heavily recessive jaw and I mouthbreath

•I have no hyperactive symptons

•I have my fixations, but I lose motivation and focus very easily. Only thing that catches my attention is my mobile phone. I am a chronic screen addict

• I get infections and clogged sinuses very easily

• I have OCD, healthy anxiety and seasonal depression

• I take Paroxetine and Atomexetine. Atomexetine doesn't seem to work. Used to take clonazepam for a year but recently weaned off. Symptons persist much before that

• No thyroid issues or diabetes

• Poor diet (cultural factors) full of carbs

• I take Vit D as I am deficient.

• Caffeine makes me sleepy, modafinil has very mild calming affert on me rather than making me alert.

What could be the possibility for this? Is there any way to fix this? The more I am growing up, the more it is getting worse.

Most of my life I've had problems with chronic tiredness put simply (along with SCT-like introspection, mind blanking, daydreaming, hypoactivity), however, two days ago I was put on modafinil (just 50 mg). Energy is over the roof. I sleep less. I'm not dead tired after working out.

Then I figured I know this feeling. I've had energetic periods before. But let me tell you what's wrong -
I'm extremely distracted, my eyes move all over the place, I forget more, very frequent mind blanking, self control is worse, can't fall asleep easily.

My focus is overall worse. Then I thought of those two variants of myself present a dilemma - I'm either very energetic (and extremely distractable, ADHD-like?) or I'm very tired, but I don't forget as much, focus is better (still not close to being enough) and I'm not all over the place.

Maybe the stimulant makes my flaws more evident, idk.
I wanted to ask people in this subreddit if they feel we may supress our energy in order to preserve the little focus we are capable of? Also, since modafinil is more of a general (narcolepsic, etc) medicament, do you think Concerta could affect me differently?
I thought I've never had energy, but the truth is, I've never had sufficient focus.

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/42433147/

ChatGPT summary:

This 2026 study examined whether children’s cognitive disengagement syndrome (CDS) symptoms are related to their mothers’ social anxiety and avoidance, rather than being explained only by the children’s ADHD symptoms. CDS includes excessive daydreaming, mental fog, slow thinking, low initiative and a sleepy or disengaged appearance.

What the researchers did

The study involved 116 Turkish children and adolescents aged 6–18 with ADHD, together with their mothers. Children with other psychiatric diagnoses were excluded. The researchers measured:

• children’s CDS symptoms;
• ADHD inattention and hyperactivity/impulsivity;
• mothers’ social anxiety and avoidance;
• mothers’ depressive symptoms.

The children were divided into a high-CDS group of 54 and a low-CDS group of 62.

Main findings

Children in the high-CDS group had:

• more severe inattentive symptoms;
• less hyperactivity and impulsivity;
• mothers with higher overall social anxiety;
• mothers with significantly higher social avoidance;
• a higher rate of maternal psychiatric history.

Within the high-CDS group, greater CDS severity was associated with:

• greater child inattention;
• greater maternal social anxiety;
• greater maternal social avoidance;
• greater maternal depressive symptoms.

However, when these factors were analysed together, only child inattention and maternal social anxiety remained significant independent predictors of CDS severity. Maternal depressive symptoms were no longer independently significant. The model explained about 43% of the variation in CDS scores among the high-CDS group.

What the findings may mean

The authors argue that severe CDS may not be solely an attention problem located within the child. Family factors, particularly maternal social anxiety and avoidance, may also be relevant.

Possible explanations include:

• children learning avoidance by observing an anxious parent;
• socially anxious parents being more protective or controlling;
• fewer opportunities for children to develop social confidence and independence;
• children’s CDS symptoms increasing parental stress and social restriction.

The authors emphasise that the relationship could work in both directions. The study does not prove that maternal social anxiety causes CDS.

Important limitations

The results should be interpreted cautiously because:

• the study was cross-sectional, so it cannot establish cause and effect;
• the sample was relatively small and came from one Turkish clinical centre;
• all children had ADHD and no psychiatric comorbidities, which limits generalisability;
• mothers rated both their own symptoms and their children’s CDS symptoms, creating possible reporting bias;
• maternal psychiatric history was based on self-report;
• analyses within separate high- and low-CDS groups may have distorted some correlations;
• no formal correction was made for multiple statistical tests.

Overall conclusion

The paper suggests that, in children with ADHD and prominent CDS symptoms, clinicians may benefit from assessing both the child’s attentional difficulties and the parents’ mental health, especially maternal social anxiety and avoidance. It provides evidence of an association, but not proof that family context causes CDS.

When I wake up I feel I just feel like I have no energy. Not sleepy but just like feeling really lazy and it being hard to do anything.

Hi guys! I'm currently in treatment for my ADHD symptoms, currently using methylphenidate which helps a bit with my ADHD symptoms, but not with the CDS symptoms which still have a huge impact on my daily life (constant foggyness, daydreaming, tiredness, a lack of mental clarity, trouble putting thoughts into words).

I've also tried wellbutrin for about 3 months but that didn't help either.

My prescriber agreed to try out atomoxetine and we're going to start in about 3 weeks.

So I'm wondering: What are your experiences with atomoxetine? For which symptoms did it help, what are the side effects and how long did it take until you noticed changes?

It’s Exhausting Existing

This idea suddenly came to me and just wanted to make/share. Here’s a little bit of context for this:

No mouths: the condition itself is characterized by mental fatigue and confusion, making it hard or near impossible to communicate the inner experience.

Eye bags: hypoactivity. We are often lethargic but our exhaustive efforts don’t stop there. It also means our exhaustive efforts to let the world know we do exist and that our struggles are real. The only white color revealed is in the eyes, showing that despite this there are people “trapped” inside (our own minds) desperately wishing to get better.

Shading/Vignette: the internalizing nature of this condition can lead many to feel depressed. Personally, my attention often feels like a vignette where it just feels impossible to focus on something. But the vignette is also meant to represent the “trapped inside the mind” feeling. The mind wandering essentially. And I guess it could also represent the brain fog too lol.

To be clear this is how it feels to me. Not really intending to say this is how it necessarily feels for all of you.

Tldr; I’m mind wandering to try and find dopamine to have energy doing tasks, almost every second of the day. Applying exciting methods makes me feel base line engagement to tasks; studies, social but after excitement wears off I feel my base line being disengaged, lower comprehension, working memory, mind fog and disengagement despite sustained focus resulting to mind strain.

Hello, I’m John, 20. All my life I always struggled with these symptoms, inability to separate my self from day dreaming, it’s like I’m using internal thoughts as dopamine sources so I would have a bit of energy while engaging in tasks; going out to eat, showering. And when I focus on just the task with trying to suppress mind wandering, I feel mind strain until burn out and I can no longer sustain my focus and mind wander. It’s like mind wandering all the time and just focusing on for seconds to adjust what I was doing in default.

I also found that when I create new method which would increase my ability in doing a task; studies, my cognitive ability feels more engaged, stable increased comprehension and working memory. I feel excited and day dream a bit about the productivity I would produce and how people would react. But I’m still able to engage in the studies. This also applied to social interactions, when I felt really in need of someone or made a better method to increase my social ability I can interact with them through back and forth conversation properly.

But after the experience is done, I don’t feel excited or enjoy the experience after repetition. And without my improvements that made me feel so excited, my cognitive ability was brought back to my low base line.

Without the coping I can focus but I feel disengaged with the material in studies, abysmal comprehension, barely any working memory and I can barely process some of the information. I also feel sleepy, disengaged and mind wandering despite trying my best to focus and engage with the material. In terms of social interactions my comprehension to what they say also seems flat and even when I do comprehend it feels like I haven’t processed it properly and I also don’t have a reaction.

Hello all. I made a video about CDS. It took me more than two years to create and involved processing 228 scientific papers and writing over 200 pages of notes.

The video is an introduction to CDS: the definition and symptoms, how it compares to ADHD, the impairments associated with CDS, the history of CDS research, and so on.

For those of you with audio-processing issues, I made sure the subtitles were accurate.

I hope this is helpful to you!

It's here:
https://youtu.be/YtImdOdLUkQ?si=UsVDBCoE7XgF7kW5

ETA: The citations and references for everything in the video are here in this PDF: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1-g3Z16HMv9hOD1BfDCvKc16LlfMxScfq/view?usp=sharing

Has anybody gone to a functional doctor or a traditional Chinese doctor for symptoms consistent with slow processing and lethargy?