Confused and burdened when leader's away (6)
I believe the answer is:
addled
'confused' is the definition.
(addling is a kind of confusing)
I cannot understand how the rest of the clue works.
Can you help me to learn more?
(Other definitions for addled that I've seen before include "Lost" , "spoilt" , "became rotten" , "Scatterbrained like bad egg" , "Mentally confused, muddled" .)