Cognitive Disengagement Syndrome: What It Is And How To Improve Cognitive Focus

Difficulty concentrating on tasks, frequent daydreaming, a lack of focus, missed appointments, and racing thoughts can all be signs of cognitive disengagement syndrome (CDS), a term coined to describe cognitive difficulties. This condition is often seen as a complication of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Exploring its impacts and how to improve focus may help you understand your brain and move forward. If you’re struggling to concentrate or experiencing other mental health challenges, a licensed mental health professional can offer support and guidance.

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What is cognitive disengagement syndrome?

The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition (DSM-V) does not list cognitive disengagement syndrome as a diagnosable condition. Therefore, there are no official treatments for this challenge. 

However, some people may relate to the signs and symptoms associated with this syndrome, and understanding the signs of CDS can be a step toward finding help. In some cases, CDS might be referred to as “sluggish cognitive tempo syndrome.” Below are several sluggish cognitive tempo symptoms:  

• Brain fog 
• “Spacing out” or frequent dissociation 
• Mind-wandering 
• Getting lost in thought
• Difficulty focusing on tasks
• Daydreaming 
• Slowed behaviors
• Poor working memory
• Taking a long time to complete tasks 
• Sleepiness and fatigue 

In abnormal child psychology, this syndrome is often recognized in children who struggle to pay attention at school and get lost in thought frequently. However, adults may also relate to these symptoms, which commonly occur in people living with ADHD and some anxiety disorders. Individuals with cognitive disengagement syndrome may also have a higher risk of developing anxiety and depression.

ADHD and cognitive disengagement syndrome 

The inattentive type of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD-PI), as well as ADHD combined presentation, can be commonly associated with elevated CDS symptoms because ADHD usually involves similar difficulties. Several ADHD symptoms that are similar to signs of CDS include the following: 

• Frequent distraction
• Difficulty focusing on tasks
• Poor short-term memory
• Dissociating or “spacing out”
• Maladaptive daydreaming 
• Forgetting items or losing items frequently
• Difficulty with executive function (challenges with filling out forms, making appointments, cleaning, etc.) 
• Difficulty maintaining attention over an extended period 

The primary difference between ADHD symptoms and cognitive disengagement syndrome tends to be slowness. ADHD inattentiveness is not usually associated with sluggishness, slowness, or brain fog. 

Instead, ADHD is often associated with racing thoughts and difficulty taking breaks. When someone struggles with both ADHD and CDS, they may sense that they’re “in the clouds” or can’t take control of their mind. Potentially co-occurring conditions like anxiety and depression can lead to further distraction and difficulty harnessing cognitive abilities.

Other causes of focus and concentration issues

Cognitive disengagement syndrome and ADHD inattentive presentation are not the only causes of a lack of concentration, poor memory, and slow thoughts. Below are several other potential causes. 

• Depression: Depression can involve symptoms like sluggishness, talking more slowly than usual, difficulty making decisions, a lack of concentration, and social isolation.
• Anxiety: Anxiety symptoms often include racing thoughts, difficulty making decisions, and a lack of focus due to intense fear or worry.
• Intellectual disabilities: Intellectual disabilities may involve difficulty focusing and slow thought processes.
• Learning disorders: Learning disorders like dyslexia and dyscalculia, among others, can be associated with slow thinking and brain fog when learning, reading, doing math, and partaking in other educational or professional activities.
• Autism spectrum disorder (ASD): Autism can cause symptoms similar to ADHD in some people and is often comorbid with ADHD. Some Autistic people may experience difficulty forming sentences, daydream frequently, and have trouble focusing on topics or ideas outside of their interests. 
• Physical illness: A physical illness or disability like a traumatic brain injury (TBI), stroke, dementia, or another mental disability can lead to memory problems, difficulty concentrating, slow thought processes, and a risk of depression. 
• Oppositional defiant disorder: In children, ODD might be diagnosed when difficulties like challenging authority, having frequent emotional outbursts, and disregarding social norms occur. ODD can sometimes involve trouble focusing on and completing tasks. 

Methods for improving focus 

If you’re struggling with your focus for any reason, the following strategies may help you move forward and improve your concentration. 

Use an app or guided tool

An app meant to help individuals focus and reduce distractions may aid you in turning your attention to important tasks. For example, the app Forest blocks individuals from using other apps on their phones for a certain amount of time while they work. 

As they work, the app grows a digital tree, which the individual can then place in a digital forest within the app. If they leave the app or are distracted by their phone while the timer is still running, the tree dies, and they must start over, motivating them to avoid leaving the app. 

Other apps offer similar features and can block you from using social media during work hours. Apps for habit tracking and meditation may also be helpful.

Avoid substance use

Substance use can increase sluggishness and mental fog. This may be especially true when consuming alcohol, which can be classified as a nervous system depressant. Withdrawal from a substance can also lead to brain fog, sluggishness, and slow movement. 

When using substances, individuals may experience temporary sensations of being lost in thought or dissociated from their bodies, which can result in a lack of focus. If you’re struggling with substance use, working with a substance use counselor may help you detox healthily. 

Take breaks

During the day, take breaks between tasks if possible. Breaks can be short, around five or 10 minutes, and you can partake in a rewarding activity between tasks, such as enjoying a walk around the block or reading a few pages of a book. Dopamine-releasing activities may be helpful during breaks, keeping you alert, focused, and ready to return to the task at hand. 

Accommodate yourself

Accommodate your unique brain by finding ways to make tasks more accessible. For example, if you have ADHD, you might try the following accommodations to reduce distracting clutter and overwhelming stimuli in your home: 

• Get bins for your clothes instead of folding them.
• Put up a whiteboard to track your appointments and obligations.
• Have multiple trash cans in every room of the house and place a roll of trash bags near each.
• Keep your toothbrush near your bed.
• Keep all the items you frequently take with you when you leave home in a single bin by the door.
• Take the pressure off yourself to complete tasks at a particular time or in a certain way (for example, you can do paperwork while watching TV on the couch).
• Keep one room dedicated to knick-knacks, random purchases, and clutter instead of having these items spread across multiple rooms.
• Have one space in your house that is clean and free of clutter where you can focus on work or schoolwork.
• Buy premade meals or set a certain day for weekly meal preparation to avoid the difficulty of daily meal prep.
• Get a smartphone app for your TV remote so that losing the physical remote doesn’t lead to stress.

There can be many ways to accommodate yourself, and making your life easier may reduce brain fog and concentration difficulties, freeing up space in your day and your mind. 

Exercise

Make alarms for all tasks 

Set alarms for every essential task you must complete during the day. If you commonly forget appointments, work assignments, and other priorities, put them in your calendar immediately upon their assignment and set a reminder for 30 minutes or an hour before you are to complete the task. 

Work in an area with limited distractions 

Clutter can worsen mental well-being, so find at least one space in your home or community that offers a clean, quiet, and distraction-free environment to study, work, or focus on other tasks. 

If you work in an office or other space outside of your home, reduce distractions by keeping your desk or work area clean. In addition, if you become overwhelmed by noise, you might consider wearing noise-canceling earbuds, which can be discreet but reduce the impact of noise on your focus. If you work from home, consider going to a café or local library to work, as these spaces can offer a more “professional” setting conducive to concentration. 

Sharpen your mind and focus in therapy

Connect with a mental health professional

Talk to a therapist

If you’re having challenges with focus, daydreaming, or being fully present in the moment, a therapist can help you develop coping techniques for your symptoms. Although cognitive disengagement syndrome is not a diagnosable mental illness, your therapist may be familiar with its signs and could help you effectively address the difficulties you’re experiencing. 

If you struggle to access in-person support, online therapy through a platform like BetterHelp may be more convenient. Through an online platform, you can set appointments with your therapist at a time that works for you and choose between phone, video, and live chat sessions.

Studies show that online therapy is often helpful for those with ADHD and co-occurring conditions. In a 2022 study, researchers reported that online interventions could be as effective as in-person options for treating ADHD. However, further research is recommended to fully understand the impacts of online treatment.