Executive Dysfunction, Shutdown, or Depression? How to Tell and What Helps

Why is it so hard to get things done?

You sit down to start something important and somehow you end up doom scrolling. Maybe your body goes quiet and feels heavy, like your brain’s battery is at 0%. Or maybe you can’t even bring yourself to want to do the thing, and it has been like this for a while.

Many people wonder: Is this ADHD? Am I just overwhelmed? Maybe this is actually depression?

Executive dysfunction, overwhelm and depression can look alike, and sometimes overlap, but they’re not the same. Knowing the difference can make it easier to find the right support that actually works. 

The good news is that none of these mean that you are failing. They are signs your brain and body need different kinds of care.

Executive dysfunction, shutdown, and depression: How to spot the difference

Executive dysfunction: Think of executive functions as your brain’s task manager. They help you plan, prioritize, and get things done. When that system is overloaded, you still want to do the thing, but your brain just won’t let you start… or finish. This is really common with ADHD, but it can show up for anyone under stress (Diamond, 2013).

You might notice yourself endlessly scrolling when you meant to begin, forgetting steps mid-task, or staring at a project that suddenly feels way too big. Secondary to this, the shame that sometimes follows, can keep you stuck. But here’s the truth: This isn’t laziness. It’s your brain’s executive functioning that is struggling; which leads to the overwhelm.

Team Voices: 

“As someone with ADHD, staying on track can be challenging. I’ve found that breaking tasks into bite-sized pieces makes them feel more manageable. Writing things down and referring back to my list helps me follow through to the end.” – Brittany Bercier, CBT Provider

Shutdown: Sometimes your nervous system just hits pause. When stress pushes past what you can handle, your body steps in to protect you almost like hitting a pause button. You might feel numb, distant, or like your body has turned to lead. It’s not a choice, it’s survival mode (Kozlowska et al., 2015).

Shutdown can look like becoming quiet in a conversation, needing to be alone longer than usual, or feeling strangely disconnected from yourself and your surroundings. These moments can be confusing and unsettling, especially if you’re used to powering through.

Depression: Depression is more than a tough week, or feeling low because it is Monday again, depression lingers. It shifts the way you think, feel, and function day after day. To meet clinical criteria, symptoms last at least two weeks and impact daily life (NIMH, 2024).

Depression might feel like being drained all the time, losing interest in things you once cared about, or noticing changes in your sleep and appetite. Thoughts more frequently turn harsh, or self-critical. Everything feels more difficult, like a fog that just won’t lift. The good news is that depression is treatable, and with the right support people do get better (Richards et al., 2016).

Where they overlap — and what to do next

Executive dysfunction, shutdown, and depression often weave together in ways that feel confusing. Stress can trigger a state of shutdown, which slows down your executive functioning and makes it harder to get things done. Over time, that exhaustion can create a low mood. And depression itself can bring shutdown-like states. It makes sense that people sometimes feel caught in all three at once.

The good news is that approaches like Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) are evidence-based ways of working with each of these challenges. CBT offers practical strategies that can gently loosen the grip of avoidance, overwhelm, and low mood. This might look like breaking tasks into smaller steps, finding grounding practices when your body hits pause, or re-engaging with meaningful activities when depression lingers.

Knowing these struggles are understood and treatable, is a reminder that what feels stuck right now doesn’t have to stay that way.

You don’t have to figure it out alone

If you’ve been blaming yourself for “not doing more”, now you know there is likely a valid reason and support. At Cognito, we help people experiencing executive functioning challenges, anxiety, depression, and insomnia through online, integrated care. Our team of Nurse Practitioners and CBT providers can help you untangle what’s going on and find tools that actually fit your life.

📅 Take the next step: Book a session with a Cognito clinician today. Together, we can make sense of what’s happening and build a plan that helps.

Disclaimer: This post is for education and self-awareness. It is not a diagnosis or replacement for therapy. If you’re struggling, you’re not alone, and you don’t have to figure it out on your own.

Written by: Katelyn Kohlen

References

American Psychological Association. (2018). Executive functions. In APA dictionary of psychology. https://dictionary.apa.org/executive-functions

Diamond, A. (2013). Executive functions. Annual Review of Psychology, 64(1), 135–168. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-psych-113011-143750

Gollwitzer, P. M. (1999). Implementation intentions: Strong effects of simple plans. American Psychologist, 54(7), 493–503. https://doi.org/10.1037/0003-066X.54.7.493

Harvard Health Publishing. (2024). Understanding the stress response. Harvard Medical School. https://www.health.harvard.edu/staying-healthy/understanding-the-stress-response

Kozlowska, K., Walker, P., McLean, L., & Carrive, P. (2015). Fear and the defense cascade: Clinical implications and management. Translational Psychiatry, 5(6), e531. https://doi.org/10.1038/tp.2015.22

National Institute of Mental Health. (2024). Depression. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/topics/depression

Richards, D. A., Ekers, D., McMillan, D., Taylor, R. S., Byford, S., Warren, F., ... & Kuyken, W. (2016). Cost and outcome of behavioural activation versus cognitive behavioural therapy for depression (COBRA): A randomised, controlled, non-inferiority trial. The Lancet, 388(10047), 871–880. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(16)31140-0

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