Signs of maladaptive daydreaming
Symptoms and Diagnosis │ Sleep Foundation
It’s common to get lost in your thoughts every once in a while. Experts estimate we spend about 47% of our waking hours in a daydream, momentarily distracted from the world around us as we let our mind wander. If your daydreams are so intense that they interfere with your daily life, however, you may be a maladaptive daydreamer.
What Is Maladaptive Daydreaming?
Sometimes known as daydreaming disorder, maladaptive daydreaming describes a condition where a person regularly experiences daydreams that are intense and highly distracting — so distracting, in fact, that the person may stop engaging with the task or people in front of them. These daydreams may be triggered by real-life events or stimuli, such as a noise, smell, conversation topic, or movie.
Maladaptive dreamers may dissociate from reality to absorb themselves completely in their daydream and may unknowingly act out the behavior or speak dialogue for the characters in their daydream. The content of the daydreams is richly detailed and fantastical. Some have been described as a soap opera, while others feature an idealized version of the daydreamer.
Maladaptive daydreaming may develop as a coping strategy in response to trauma. The inner world may feel safer than the experience happening outside. For example, people with maladaptive daydreaming found themselves engaging in the behavior more frequently during the COVID-19 lockdown. They felt less able to control their urge to daydream, and the vividness of their daydreams intensified.
Maladaptive daydreaming was first defined in 2002 and is not yet recognized in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5). The prevalence of maladaptive daydreaming is unknown, but the condition appears to be more common among people with anxiety, depression, or obsessive-compulsive disorder. Over half of maladaptive daydreamers have a mental health disorder.
Symptoms of Maladaptive Daydreaming
Symptoms of maladaptive daydreaming may include:
- Intense, vivid daydreams that present as a story, with characters, settings, and plotlines
- Daydreams that are triggered by real-world events or sensory stimuli
- Unconscious facial expressions, repetitive body movements, or talking or whispering that accompany daydreams
- Daydreams that last for several minutes to hours
- A strong or addictive desire to keep daydreaming
- Trouble focusing and completing daily tasks due to daydreams
- Trouble sleeping
A person can exhibit one or more of these symptoms.
Complications of Maladaptive Daydreaming
Maladaptive daydreams can be so immersive and lengthy that the person dissociates from the world around them, negatively impacting their relationships, work or school performance, sleep, and daily life. Studies of medical students have found that those who engaged in maladaptive daydreaming reported a significant decline in their GPA.
Maladaptive daydreamers may spend 4.5 hours of their day distracted by their daydreams. They may become so absorbed with their inner world that it becomes harder to ground themselves in reality. Due to the all-consuming, immersive nature of their daydreams, people may end up neglecting their relationships and responsibilities in the real world, causing them emotional distress. Unfortunately, despite the strong desire to daydream, people generally feel worse emotionally after doing so.
Maladaptive daydreamers may spend 4.5 hours of their day distracted by their daydreams. They may become so absorbed with their inner world that it becomes harder to ground themselves in reality.
In general, people who daydream — maladaptively or not — are more likely to have troubled sleep. Poor sleep can cause sleep deprivation, which impairs one’s ability to focus, concentrate, and pay attention — all symptoms of maladaptive daydreaming. This may explain why a night of disturbed sleep tends to be followed by a day of maladaptive daydreaming.
Dissociation, another symptom of maladaptive daydreaming, is also associated with sleep disorders. Finally, some of the mental health conditions linked to maladaptive daydreaming, such as anxiety and depression, are associated with poor sleep.
What’s the Difference Between Daydreaming and Maladaptive Daydreaming?
Daydreams are a normal part of existence. They’re typically pleasant, though they can sometimes be annoying. While they can distract us from the task at hand, they offer several benefits, such as the ability to plan future events, relieve ourselves from boredom, find meaning in our life’s story, and boost our creativity.
While maladaptive daydreams can be pleasant as well, they are more likely to involve themes of violence, power, control, sex, captivity, or rescue and escape scenarios. Unlike traditional daydreams, maladaptive daydreams commonly enter the realm of fantasy.
Finally, normal daydreaming occurs entirely in the mind, while maladaptive daydreaming is an immersive experience that is often accompanied by repetitive movements, facial expressions, or verbalizations.
Maladaptive Daydreaming Diagnosis
Experts still do not know what causes maladaptive daydreaming, and there’s no official method of diagnosis. While it has been linked to social anxiety or previous trauma, people may develop maladaptive daydreaming without any prior trauma. There is also some evidence that maladaptive daydreamers tended to have active imaginations as children.
Early researchers developed a test known as the Maladaptive Daydreaming Scale (MDS) to further study and define the characteristics of MD. This 14-part self-assessment can help doctors determine whether a person is suffering from maladaptive daydreaming. A person rates the severity and frequency of their symptoms, answering questions like:
- What takes place in your daydreams? How vivid and detailed are they?
- Can you stop yourself from daydreaming? Do you want to?
- Do your daydreams interfere with your daily life?
There is more than one proposed MDS reported in the literature. Depending on the scale used, different cutoff scores have been suggested to delineate those with clinically significant maladaptive daydreaming.
Due to the nature of the symptoms, maladaptive daydreaming can be confused with schizophrenia; however, these conditions are very different. Most notably, individuals who experience maladaptive daydreaming know that their daydreams are not real, while those with disorders like schizophrenia have difficulty distinguishing reality from fantasy.
There is some overlap between maladaptive daydreaming and other conditions, however. Individuals with maladaptive daydreaming exhibit more symptoms of depression, general anxiety, social anxiety, and dissociation. They are also more likely to have attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), and depression.
Treatment for Maladaptive Daydreaming
There is no official course of treatment for maladaptive daydreaming. Fluvoxamine, a drug commonly prescribed to treat OCD, was found effective in a case study of one patient. Typically, treatment focuses on reducing the likelihood of experiencing a maladaptive daydream through better sleep and symptom management.
Improve the Quality of Your Sleep
Adopting better sleep habits can improve your sleep quality and potentially have an impact on maladaptive daydreaming.
Set and follow a regular sleep schedule every day of the week, even weekends
- Provide yourself with enough time to enjoy at least seven hours of sleep
- Establish a calming bedtime routine to help you relax into sleep
- Exercise daily and eat well
Reduce Fatigue During the Day
Expose yourself to natural sunlight throughout the day, especially in the morning. Consider consuming caffeine for an extra boost, but avoid having more than 400 milligrams per day and schedule your last cup of coffee at least 6 hours before bed.
Understand Your Symptoms
Use a small notepad or the notes app on your phone to record what you were doing before you had a maladaptive daydream. Once you know what your triggers are, you can take steps to avoid them or understand why they’re triggering you.
Get Support
Explain your symptoms to people you trust, like family members and friends. This will help prevent your daydreams from straining the relationship while also enabling these people to help you by interrupting you when they notice symptoms occurring.
Consider Therapy
A therapist can help you process any underlying trauma and perhaps identify what’s triggering your maladaptive daydreaming. They can also recommend specific strategies for managing your symptoms. For example, grounding techniques can be helpful. Some therapists may also recommend changing your daydream’s plot endings from good to bad to make the daydream less rewarding.
If you feel addicted to daydreaming, or like your daydreams interfere with your daily life, talk to your doctor. They can provide recommendations for controlling your tendency to daydream and provide tips for better focus and better sleep.
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What It Is, Symptoms & Treatment
Overview
What is maladaptive daydreaming?
Maladaptive daydreaming is a mental health issue where a person daydreams excessively, sometimes for hours at a time. “Maladaptive” means this type of daydreaming is an unhealthy or negative attempt to cope with or adapt to a problem.
People who do this tend to “lose themselves” in extremely vivid and detailed daydreams. Research also shows this kind of daydreaming might be compulsive. That means it’s difficult — if not impossible — to control that you’re doing it.
This issue also overlaps with several other mental health and neurological conditions. However, there’s evidence that maladaptive daydreaming is different from these other conditions and should be declared a separate disorder.
Who does it affect?
Maladaptive daydreaming is most common in people with conditions that affect their mental health or certain types of brain functions. The conditions that are common with maladaptive daydreaming are:
- Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).
- Anxiety disorders.
- Certain types of depression.
- Dissociative disorders.
- Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD).
Age can also be a factor in maladaptive daydreaming. Some research suggests it’s more common in younger people, especially young adults and teenagers, and that it can also happen to children. However, more research is necessary to determine how common it is in people depending on their age.
Lastly, many people who experience maladaptive daydreaming have a history of abuse or trauma, especially during childhood. However, this isn’t something that all people with maladaptive daydreaming have.
How common is this issue?
The term “maladaptive daydreaming” is relatively new. Eli Somer, PhD, a clinical psychology professor in Israel, coined the term in 2002.
There’s limited research available on how commonly maladaptive daydreaming happens. That’s partly because this isn’t an officially recognized condition yet. However, one early study put the number at 2.5% of adults in Israel, and slightly higher — about 4.3% — for younger adults who are students.
Another study estimated that maladaptive daydreaming affects about 20% of adults with ADHD. That would mean it affects at least 2.2 million adults in the United States, and that number doesn’t account for people who have it but don’t have ADHD.
How does this condition affect my body?
Maladaptive daydreaming is an issue that affects your mind. Your mind is the unique combination of memories, experiences, thoughts, beliefs, emotions and more that only you have. Your mind and brain aren’t the same thing. Your brain is the physical part of your body that generates all the above elements that make up your mind.
But experts also suspect that maladaptive daydreaming might involve differences in your brain that other people don’t have. People with ADHD have small, but still important, differences in the size of certain parts of their brains. Those areas are usually ones that control executive functions like decision-making, planning and self-motivation.
People with maladaptive daydreaming also seem to have trouble with executive dysfunction, which is why there’s so much overlap between maladaptive daydreaming and ADHD. They also experience similar problems with managing their own emotions. That means people with maladaptive daydreaming may also be more likely to have similar differences in their brains. However, more research is necessary before experts can confirm if this is the case.
Symptoms and Causes
What are the symptoms of maladaptive daydreaming?
Maladaptive daydreaming is a condition where all the symptoms revolve around the daydreaming itself. The symptoms tend to fall into two categories: daydreaming behavior and how a person feels about their daydreaming.
Daydreaming behavior
The kind of daydreams that happen with maladaptive daydreaming often involve the following:
- Intensity. These daydreams are extremely vivid and detailed, much more so than a standard daydream.
- Complexity. These daydreams often have elaborate plots, and many people have characters they imagine repeatedly, much like characters in a TV show.
- Duration. People who daydream this way can do so for long periods, even hours at a time.
- Intent. People who do this often can — and do —start daydreaming intentionally.
- Disconnection from what’s happening around them. People who have this can daydream so strongly that they disconnect from the world around them. This is similar to dissociation, a defense or coping mechanism for people with severe anxiety, depression, or a history of abuse or trauma.
How a person feels about their maladaptive daydreaming
People who experience maladaptive daydreaming frequently struggle with negative feelings and the effects from this issue. That often takes the following forms:
- Disruption in social activities. People who have maladaptive daydreaming often choose to daydream rather than spend time with others.
- Interference in work, hobbies and other pursuits. Maladaptive daydreaming can cause problems with work, studying or reaching other goals a person sets for themselves.
- Feelings of shame and guilt. People who experience maladaptive daydreaming commonly feel bad about doing it, especially when it interferes with other parts of their life.
- Compulsively daydreaming. This means that people will feel the need to have maladaptive daydreams. If they don’t have the chance to do so, they may feel upset that they missed the opportunity to do it. Some research shows that the need to daydream may be similar to an addiction.
- Attempts to stop or daydream less. People who have maladaptive daydreaming often struggle to daydream less or stop altogether.
What causes maladaptive daydreaming?
Experts don’t know exactly why maladaptive daydreaming happens. However, they suspect it happens because maladaptive daydreaming can be a coping mechanism for problems like anxiety, depression and other mental health conditions.
Is it contagious?
Maladaptive daydreaming is a mental health issue, which means it isn’t contagious.
Diagnosis and Tests
How is maladaptive daydreaming diagnosed?
Maladaptive daydreaming isn’t a recognized condition. Because of that, it’s not something a healthcare provider can diagnose directly. There also aren’t any diagnostic or lab tests that can confirm if you have this.
However, clinicians may find signs of this issue using specific questionnaires and diagnostic scales for related conditions like ADHD, OCD, depression, anxiety and dissociative disorders. They can also directly use the Maladaptive Daydreaming Scale-16 (MDS-16), a set of questions that can show if a person is more likely to have this issue.
Management and Treatment
How is maladaptive daydreaming treated, and is there a cure?
Because maladaptive daydreaming isn't an official diagnosis yet, there’s no standard treatment. However, that doesn't mean there’s no way to treat it. For now, mental health providers can treat it by approaching the condition based on its similarities to related conditions.
The main treatment for maladaptive daydreaming is mental health therapy (psychotherapy). Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is one of the most common types of therapy for conditions like OCD, anxiety, depression and dissociative disorders. The approach of CBT can also help people with maladaptive daydreaming understand why they do it and what they can do to manage it. Other forms of mental health therapy may also offer some benefits.
Because many people who have maladaptive daydreaming also have related conditions like ADHD, treating the related conditions may also help. The type of medication you might take depends strongly on the related condition.
Your healthcare provider is the best person to tell you more about what’s most likely to help you. They can explain more about different forms of mental health therapy, medication options, etc. Everyone is different, and what works for one person might not work for another. Your healthcare provider can consider your unique health history, conditions and circumstances when offering you suggestions.
Complications or side effects of the treatment
Mental health therapy doesn’t have side effects or complications, though it might uncover things that you find painful or difficult to face. Your mental health provider can help you cope and find ways to process and move on from past trauma and struggles. They can also tell you more about what complications are possible or likely with the medications they recommend.
How do I take care of myself and manage the symptoms?
Because maladaptive daydreaming is a mental health issue, it’s difficult to manage it on your own. The best way to deal with it is to talk to a mental healthcare provider. They can guide you on how to reduce your need to daydream and eventually not depend on it at all. They can also help you find medication combinations that can treat related conditions, making it easier for you to rely less on daydreaming.
Prevention
How can I reduce my risk or prevent developing maladaptive daydreaming?
Maladaptive daydreaming is a mental health issue. Because of that, there’s no way to prevent it or reduce the risk of developing it.
Outlook / Prognosis
What can I expect if I have this condition?
Maladaptive daydreaming is an issue that can cause severe disruptions in your life, especially if your daydreaming is interfering with work, relationships, housework and hobbies. As a person spends more and more time daydreaming and doing less interacting with others, the weaker their social abilities become and the harder it gets to start and maintain relationships.
As mentioned above, maladaptive daydreaming is often compulsive, which means a person feels like they need to do it. Because the need to daydream is similar to an addiction, daydreaming more often can make it a strong habit, so it’s very hard to stop doing it. That’s why seeking mental healthcare for it sooner rather than later is important.
How long does it last?
Because maladaptive daydreaming isn’t officially recognized, and the idea of it as a distinct condition dates back only to 2002, there’s little available research on how long it lasts. For now, it seems to be a lifelong concern that people can overcome. However, overcoming it is difficult without mental health therapy, medication or both.
What’s the outlook for this condition?
On its own, maladaptive daydreaming isn’t dangerous to your physical health. However, it can have a severe impact on your mental health. It also happens alongside conditions that increase your risk of dying from suicide, which means that this condition can increase a person’s risk of harming themselves.
When should I go to the ER?
You should go to the ER or call 911 (or your local emergency services number) if you have thoughts about harming yourself, including thoughts of suicide, or about harming others. If you have thoughts like this, you can call any of the following:
- National Suicide Prevention Lifeline (United States). To call this line, dial 1.800.273.TALK (1.800.273.8255).
- Local crisis lines. Mental health organizations and centers in your area may offer resources and help through crisis lines.
- 911 (or your local emergency services number): You should call 911 (or the local emergency services number) if you feel like you’re in immediate danger of harming yourself. Operators and dispatchers for 911 lines can often help people in immediate danger because of a severe mental crisis and send first responders to assist.
Living With
How do I take care of myself?
If you have maladaptive daydreaming, the best thing you can do is talk to your healthcare provider. Because maladaptive daydreaming isn't an officially recognized condition, some healthcare providers might not have much experience or familiarity with it. In general, healthcare providers that treat ADHD, OCD and similar conditions are most likely to be familiar with this condition.
Once you see your healthcare provider, it’s important to stick to a treatment plan. That includes:
- Seeing your healthcare provider as recommended and not missing visits.
- If your provider prescribes medication, take it exactly as the prescription says.
- Set goals in your treatment and pursue them.
- Avoid self-medication with alcohol or misusing prescription or recreational drugs.
- Remember that the path of recovery and personal care isn’t a straight line, so don’t let discouragement take over when you struggle.
What questions should I ask my doctor?
A common problem for people with maladaptive daydreaming is that this condition doesn’t have official recognition. Many healthcare providers are unfamiliar with it. Because of that, some may act dismissive of your concerns. If that’s the case, it’s important not to give up on mental healthcare. Just because one provider is unfamiliar doesn’t mean they all are or that your case is hopeless.
When looking for a mental health provider, you can ask them the following:
- Are they familiar with maladaptive daydreaming?
- Can they perform screening tests for related conditions like ADHD, OCD, anxiety and depression?
- Do they have experience treating the related conditions mentioned above?
A note from Cleveland Clinic
Maladaptive daydreaming is a mental health issue that causes a person to lose themselves in complex daydreams. These daydreams are usually a coping mechanism for other mental health conditions or circumstances. It’s common — but not required — for people who have this to have a history of childhood trauma or abuse.
Because this condition doesn’t have official recognition yet, not all mental health providers know about it. Some healthcare providers may even dismiss it, which can cause you to feel even more ashamed and avoid seeking care. But it’s important not to give up on finding someone to provide the care you need to deal with and overcome this condition. It’s possible to learn to manage these daydreams — especially with mental healthcare — so you can focus your efforts and attention on living and building relationships with the people around you.
Maladaptive daydreaming: scope, symptoms and treatment
od Adrian
content
What is an uncomfortable dream?
Maladaptive daydreaming is a mental illness. He was identified by Professor Eliezer Somer of the University of Haifa in Israel.
This state causes intense daydreaming, which distracts the person from real life. Many times real events trigger daily dreams. These events may include:
- topics of conversation
- sensory stimuli such as noise or smell
- physical experiences
This disorder is not part of a new edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-V). There is no official treatment. But some experts say it's a real disorder that can have real consequences in a person's daily life.
What are the symptoms of uncomfortable dreams?
A person with a suspected maladjustment may have one or more of the symptoms of the disorder, but not necessarily all of them. Common symptoms include:
- extremely colorful day creams with their own characters, settings, plots and other details similar to stories
- dreams caused by real events
- difficulty performing daily tasks
- difficulty sleeping at night
- an overwhelming desire to keep dreaming
- performing repetitive movements while daydreaming
- facial expressions while daydreaming
- whispering and saying how I dream
- daydreaming for long periods (minutes to hours)
Experts still not sure what causes maladjustment.
Can a doctor diagnose daydreaming?
There is no universal method for diagnosing daydreaming. Somer developed the Maladaptive Dream Scale (MDS). This scale can help you determine if a person dreams badly.
MDS is a 14 part scale. Assesses five key characteristics of uncomfortable dreams:
- the content and quality (details) of dreams
- the person's ability to control their dreams and make them dream
- the number of problems caused by daydreaming
- the person perceives the benefits of daydreaming
- how much daydreaming interferes with a person's daily activities
People also rate how often they have inappropriate daydreaming symptoms.
Inappropriate daydreaming is often diagnosed as schizophrenia, which is a type of psychosis. This is because people with schizophrenia cannot distinguish reality from imagination. But Somer says inadequate dreaming is not psychosis because people with inadequate dreaming recognize that their dream is not real.
Can inadequate daydreaming cause the development of other conditions?
Some people who experience maladaptation also:
- Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)
- depression
- obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD)
It is not yet clear how these disorders are related to maladaptation.
How to treat unpleasant dreams?
There is no official treatment for maladaptation. In one study, researchers found that fluvoxamine (Luvox) was effective in helping the inexperienced dreamer control their days.
This drug is a common treatment for OSO.
What are the chances of uncorrected daydreaming?
Bad daydreaming can interfere with your daily life. It can be difficult to get the help you need to treat this disorder.
If you join a support group to learn how others can deal with your disorder, it will be easier for you to support your maladjustment. There are several internet forums for maladapted dreamers, including Snow Dreams i Wild Minds Network.
Maladaptive daydreaming: scope, symptoms and treatment
od Adrian
content
What is an uncomfortable dream?
Maladaptive daydreaming is a mental illness. He was identified by Professor Eliezer Somer of the University of Haifa in Israel.
This state causes intense daydreaming, which distracts the person from real life. Many times real events trigger daily dreams. These events may include:
- topics of conversation
- sensory stimuli such as noise or smell
- physical experiences
This disorder is not part of a new edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-V). There is no official treatment. But some experts say it's a real disorder that can have real consequences in a person's daily life.
What are the symptoms of uncomfortable dreams?
A person with a suspected maladjustment may have one or more of the symptoms of the disorder, but not necessarily all of them. Common symptoms include:
- extremely colorful day creams with their own characters, settings, plots and other details similar to stories
- daydreams caused by real events
- difficulty with daily tasks
- difficulty sleeping at night
- an overwhelming desire to keep dreaming
- performing repetitive movements while daydreaming
- facial expressions while daydreaming
- whispering and talking about how I dream
- daydreaming for long periods of time (minutes to hours)
Experts are still not sure what causes maladaptation.
Can a doctor diagnose daydreaming?
There is no universal method for diagnosing daydreaming. Somer developed the Maladaptive Dream Scale (MDS). This scale can help you determine if a person dreams badly.
MDS is a 14 part scale. Rates five key characteristics of uncomfortable dreams:
- the content and quality (details) of dreams
- the ability of a person to control his dreams and make them dream
- the number of problems caused by daydreaming
- the person is aware of the benefits of daydreaming
- how much dreaming prevents a person from doing everyday activities
Inadequate daydreaming is often diagnosed as schizophrenia, which is a type of psychosis. This is because people with schizophrenia cannot distinguish reality from imagination. But Somer says inadequate dreaming is not psychosis because people with inadequate dreaming recognize that their dream is not real.
Can inadequate daydreaming cause the development of other conditions?
Some people who experience maladaptation are also:
- Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)
- depression
- obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD)
It is not yet clear how these disorders are related to maladaptation.
How to treat unpleasant dreams?
There is no official treatment for maladaptation. In one study, researchers found that fluvoxamine (Luvox) was effective in helping the inexperienced dreamer control their days.
This drug is a common treatment for OSO.
What are the chances of uncorrected daydreaming?
Bad daydreaming can interfere with your daily life. It can be difficult to get the help you need to treat this disorder.
If you join a support group to learn how others can deal with your disorder, it will be easier for you to support your maladjustment. There are several internet forums for maladapted dreamers, including Snow Dreams i Wild Minds Network.