What is Maladaptive Daydreaming?
Maladaptive daydreaming is a disorder that was first described in 2002 in which the individual is subjected to intense and addictive daydreaming. These daydreams can become so distracting that it’ll start to interfere in the person's day-to-day life. A maladaptive daydreamer can spend countless hours in a world that they created and might start to act out their daydreams in real life. Usually, maladaptive daydreamers use repetitive motives when in this mindset, such as walking or rocking back and forth. Certain sounds, smells, and conversation topics can trigger this and pull the person away from the conversation to dissociate.
Maladaptive daydreaming is an addiction that can steam from past trauma. The real world could’ve been too harsh for an individual, and as a result, they took comfort in their mind: a place where they can make and create whatever they want and where they are in control. This condition is mostly associated with people that struggle with OCD, depression, anxiety, and ADHD.
The Difference Between Maladaptive Daydreaming and Daydreaming
Maladaptive daydreaming is often looked over as just regular daydreaming. However, the two do have a distinction; regular daydreaming isn’t as intense as maladaptive daydreaming. Maladaptive daydreaming consists of hours of being in fantasy worlds that could involve violence. While regular daydreams remain tamed, maladaptive daydreams can be difficult for the person to get out of. Maladaptive daydreamers’ productivity can drastically go down, a task that can be completed with ease might take longer or not get done at all. Lastly, a maladaptive daydreamer's only source of entertainment or joy can be daydreaming.
Symptoms
Repetitive movement, unconscious facial expression, or talking out your daydreams
Trouble concentrating due to daydreams
Daydreaming multiple times a day for hours
Preferring to daydream over social events
Memory problems
Daydreams are extremely detailed (ex - own plot, characters, or setting)
Having trouble sleeping
Worrying about daydreaming
Daydreams are triggered by music, any type of sound, smell, movie, show, or anything from a conversation
Living with Maladaptive Daydreaming
People that struggle living with this disorder typically do it to escape the outside world. They want to leave the hurt and fear and escape to a place where they know they have control. However, after the daydream is complete, the individual usually feels worse than before. Maladaptive daydreaming is a very strong addiction that is extremely hard to pull away. They tend to forget their responsibilities and social life which causes even more distress down the line. This is caused by them placing their daydreams in higher regard than their own personal life, making their productivity levels decrease.
How to Get Help
As of now, maladaptive daydreaming has no official diagnosis or treatment. However, doctors can recognize if a person is dealing with this disorder by using the 16- item maladaptive daydreaming test. This test has the person assess their own experiences. The Structured Clinical Interview for Maladaptive Daydreaming (SCIMD) helps doctors draw out a response if a person has been maladaptive daydreaming. A drug called Fluvoxamine (typically used to treat OCD) has been found to be useful for this disorder.
There are many ways a person can reduce maladaptive daydreaming without medical assistance: establishing a better sleep schedule, exercising regularly, and being exposed to natural sunlight can help. Additionally, writing down what triggers the daydreams helps one better understand how to avoid them or work around them. Most importantly, talk to someone who is deemed trustworthy. Opening up to either a trusted friend/family member or therapist can help relieve the stress that is being carried. Maladaptive daydreaming is something that affects a person's daily life and can make one feel more lonely. Talking to a therapist can help one better understand the trauma and better the disorder and have healthier coping mechanisms in order to heal.
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