The Rising “Popularity” of Executive Dysfunction

By Shara Tipton, posted May 20, 2024

Also posted at: https://monarchwellness.com/blog/

The number of google searches for “executive dysfunction” has increased by over 300% over the last 5 years. As an executive function coach and former special education teacher (and the client care coordinator here at Monarch), I am glad that this important part of the human experience is being discussed more! So often people who struggle with executive functioning also struggle with guilt and shame, maybe feeling like they are lazy or just can’t get it together and better awareness can hopefully lead to better understanding and effective support. Unfortunately increased awareness sometimes leads to increased misunderstanding; so let’s get into what executive functioning means, why people may struggle with it and why we are hearing about it more frequently.

What is Executive Functioning?

Executive functioning refers to a set of cognitive processes that we use to manage and regulate our thoughts, actions, and feelings. They are often broken up into different components like:

• Planning and Prioritizing 

• Time Management 

• Inhibition 

• Attention 

• Organization 

• Task Initiation 

• Self Regulation 

• Flexibility 

• Working Memory 

• Self Monitoring 

  These skills overlap ALL the time and we almost always use them in tandem somehow. For example, starting a task may involve figuring out what you have to do, what your deadlines are, how long things will take, what order to do things, and what materials you need in addition to actually starting the task. This kind of task preparation covers planning and prioritizing, time management, organization, and task initiation. It likely overlaps with inhibition, attention, and self regulation as well! Some people break executive functioning skills into more categories, others into fewer but the bottom line is generally the same – executive functioning skills help move us through the things we need and want to do.

  What is Executive Dysfunction?

  Executive dysfunction happens when you don’t consistently have access to all of the above skills and have a difficult time moving through the things you want and need to do. I often describe executive dysfunction as having everything you need, internally and externally, to complete a task and you just….can’t.

  Let’s say you have a bill to pay – you have the money in the bank, you have an online account where you can pay it, you have a computer or phone where you can access the website, you’ve paid the bill online before and know how to do it…it seems like you should be set! But you can’t bring yourself to sit down at the computer, or when you do you just find yourself scrolling social media. You can’t remember your password, in fact you can never manage to keep track of your passwords. Your computer is….somewhere and your phone is low on battery. This is what executive dysfunction looks like..you have the hard skills and external resources to complete the task but you don’t have the executive function skills or internal resources that will actually allow you to get from start to finish.

  Is Executive Dysfunction Just Laziness?

  Short answer, no. Executive dysfunction is not laziness (also, does laziness even exist…read more about this in a future blog). Let’s say laziness does exist – it is generally characterized by chillness, nonchalance, and not caring much. Maybe your image of laziness is someone laying down on the couch, watching tv, and eating potato chips. Sounds like a pretty chill time and someone stuck in executive dysfunction could totally look like this. However, their internal experience would be very unchill. Their brain may be screaming at them to go pay that bill, the negative self talk may become more extreme – loser, incompetent, a waste of space. They may keep saying to themselves, “I’ll get up in 5 minutes and do it” and they really mean it but they don’t. Because they can’t!

  You cannot reliably talk yourself out of executive dysfunction. Someone struggling with executive dysfunction likely needs tools, external supports/scaffolds, and nervous system regulation in order to move back into functioning (more on this too in a future blog).

  Causes of Executive Dysfunction

  Executive Dysfunction can occur for a lot of reasons, here are some common ones:

  • Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)

  • Autism

  • Learning Disabilities

  • Trauma

  • Grief

  • Some Chronic Illnesses

  • Depression

  • Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD)

    Why Does it Seem Like These Things Are More …Popular?

    Most, but not all, of the above conditions fit under the umbrella of neurodivergence. And as neurodivergence has entered the cultural lexicon in a much greater way, so has executive functioning. This increase can partly be attributed to the long term work of disability advocates and mental health and education professionals. The pandemic has also had a huge impact on this increase – in the Spring of 2020 the external structures that many people built their lives around (work, school, etc) disappeared or changed drastically. While most people found this to be difficult, some people found their lives falling apart. These external structures had been accommodating executive function struggles they may not have realized they had. Suddenly expected to work or learn remotely without familiar structures, some people really struggled to create their own structure and things started to fall apart a bit. 

    How Does TikTok Play Into This?

    TikTok started rising in popularity for adults slightly before the pandemic started and it was easy to find content by and for neurodivergent people, sometimes focusing on executive functioning content. As people were suddenly faced with way more free time than they were used to, even more adults downloaded TikTok and became exposed to neurodivergent and executive functioning content, for the first time for many. 

    In the last 5 years we’ve also seen a big increase in chronic illness, grief and trauma connected to the pandemic. The ways COVID 19 has changed peoples lives paired with increased awareness has led to some of the increase in searches for “executive dysfunction” but obviously not all. One conclusion that I draw looking at all of this is that there are not only more people than before struggling with executive dysfunction, but there are also more people who’ve struggled for a long time that are just starting to have language for it. 

    Executive Function Support Is Available In Many Forms

    If this is you or someone you care about, there are resources available! Executive function coaches target these skills specifically, while therapists can support building those skills while also addressing any distress that’s accompanying the difficulty. That’s not all – occupational therapists, speech and language therapists, and psychiatrists can all address executive dysfunction as well. 

    Reach out to a coach or therapist for support today and stay tuned for our next blog for more on addressing executive dysfunction through coaching and therapy.