Maladaptive Daydreaming: A Waking Nightmare

When too much of a good thing turns bad...

Daydreaming is a way to escape our realities, running wild with our imaginations and if you're into zodiac signs, then all the fellow Pisces know what I'm talking about. 

However, maladaptive daydreaming is a psychiatric condition in which daydreaming has the ability to take over our lives- well 4 hours a day to be exact. This condition was first defined in 2002 by an Israeli professor, but has very few studies done on it since. Some explanations regarding this is that, well, daydreams have never really been of concern in the medical field/ psychoanalysis. 

Let's explore this odd condition's characteristics:

• Creating characters, plots, intricate and vivid daydreams
• Perform repeated motions & facial expressions
• Strong desire to keep daydreaming
• Difficulty sleeping 

Fast facts:

• Real life events can trigger these strong daydreams to happen
• There is no official treatment for MD
• Professor Eli Somer devised a 16-item Maladaptive Daydreaming Scale used for diagnosing the condition
• MD has been found to be related to trauma
• On average, Maladaptive Daydreaming takes up to 4 hours of our lives a day

MD is related to...

Negative emotion and obsessive-compulsive disorder, among other mental illnesses that we'll cover today. Maladaptive Daydreaming is also correlated to Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, but are NOT the same nor is MD just another symptom of ADHD. Schizophrenia has been another misdiagnosis for MD as they involve fantasy taking over reality. Again, MD is thus far it's own condition as reviewed by mental health professionals, and people with it are AWARE that they are creating their fantasy world. 

Reports of the condition:

Remember the fact that the average for MD a day is 4 hours? For some, this average is doubled. The following are real reports given in different studies. 

    "I have been lost in a daydream for as long as I can remember….These daydreams tend to be stories…for which I feel real emotion, usually happiness or sadness, which have the ability to make me laugh and cry…They’re as important a part of my life as anything else; I can spend hours alone with my daydreams….I am careful to control my actions in public so it is not evident that my mind is constantly spinning these stories and I am constantly lost in them"  

- A report emailed to Eli Somer

Several functions seem to fuel maladaptive daydreaming such as a coping mechanism, satisfying the need for control, and forming the ideal self. These themes rotate viciously around desire; desire for control, desire to escape reality, desire to be someone else, etc. These results can be found in Eli Somer's research: Maladaptive Daydreaming, A Qualitative Inquiry. 

Caution & Closing:

If you think this condition relates to you, speak to a medical professional. This article is meant to be informative and provide the science behind the condition. 

Comment your thoughts down below! 

Sleep well and stay safe.