Maladaptive Daydreaming
Maladaptive daydreaming is a proposed psychological condition, described as extreme and excessive daydreaming that interrupts daily functioning. Although the condition is also theorized to be a type of dissociative disorder, the nature of the disorder remains unknown due to its relative newness and lack of research.[1]
The term maladaptive daydreaming was coined by psychology professor Eli Somer. Somer was the first medical expert to research the condition, and developed a comprehensive scale to diagnose it.[2]
Symptoms[edit]
Maladaptive daydreaming is commonly described to include the following:[3]
- Frequent and excessive daydreaming
- Daydreams that are exceptionally long
- Dissociation
- Exceptionally detailed, creative, and vivid daydreams (a paracosm may exist in the person’s mind)
- An overwhelming urge to continue daydreaming
- Involuntary movement and speaking during episodes
- Difficulty accomplishing tasks and daily routines
- Difficulty maintaining attention
- Social isolation
- Anxiety
- Insomnia
- Parataxic distortion
Diagnosis[edit]
There is no official method of diagnosis for maladaptive daydreaming. However, Somer developed the Maladaptive Daydreaming Scale, a 14-part scale that measures five key components of the disorder in patients.[4]
| Characteristics |
|---|
| Content and quality of the dream |
| Ability to control their dreams and compulsion |
| Distress due to symptoms |
| What benefits the patient perceives from the dreaming |
| Amount of interference in daily functioning |
The main distinguisher between maladaptive daydreaming and schizophrenia is whether or not the patient is able to discern daydreams from reality. Individuals unable to differentiate between the two suffer from psychosis, while patients who can discern the two are diagnosed as maladaptive daydreamers.[5]
Cause[edit]
The cause of this condition remains unknown, although there are various theories and proposals in existence.
Treatment and Management[edit]
There is no official treatment for maladaptive daydreaming, and very little research has been done on possible treatments. Medical practitioners often try to diagnose and treat comorbidities that appear in patients that may be responsible for the condition.
In one study, the administration of fluvoxamine (an SSRI commonly used to treat OCD) alleviated symptoms. Cognitive behavioral therapy has also been used for affected individuals.[6]
Epidemiology[edit]
Maladaptive daydreaming is more frequently comorbid with other psychological disorders, as well as the presence of high stress.[7] It is also seen more frequently in individuals exhibiting fantasy prone personalities.
The disorder is also more frequently seen in females.[8]
Speculation[edit]
Maladaptive daydreaming is not classified as an official psychological disorder, and remains a highly debated topic in psychology. However, hundreds of individuals worldwide claim to be affected.[9] The lack of research on the subject leaves much to be speculated about its true nature.[10]
While some deny the existence of the condition altogether, other researchers claim that it is a dissociative symptom of other psychological disorders affecting cognition, such as dissociative disorder, PTSD, depression, and anxiety disorder.[11][12]
There is also speculation that maladaptive daydreaming is a subconscious form of coping through escapism, and could be an extreme form of mental absorption due to previous psychological traumas and stressors.
See More[edit]
- Abnormal psychology
- Altered state of consciousness
- Autonoetic consciousness
- Boundaries of the mind
- Creative visualization
- Creativity and mental illness
- Default mode network
- Defense mechanism
- Fantasy (psychology)
- Imagination
- Intrusive thoughts
- Mind-wandering
- Psychasthenia
References[edit]
- ↑ Pequenino, Karla (30 December 2016). "Maladaptive daydreaming: When fantasies become a nightmare". CNN. Retrieved 29 November 2017.
- ↑ "Eli Somer". ResearchGate. Retrieved 1 December 2017.
- ↑ Cirino, Erica. "Maladaptive Daydreaming". Healthline. Retrieved 29 November 2017.
- ↑ Somer, E; Lehrfeld, J; Bigelsen, J; Jopp, DS (January 2016). "Development and validation of the Maladaptive Daydreaming Scale (MDS)". Consciousness and Cognition. 39: 77–91. doi:10.1016/j.concog.2015.12.001. PMID 26707384.
- ↑ Somer, Eli; Somer, Liora; Jopp, Daniela S. (June 2016). "Childhood Antecedents and Maintaining Factors in Maladaptive Daydreaming" (PDF). The Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease. 204 (6): 471–478. Retrieved 29 November 2017.
- ↑ Reddy, Sumathi. "When Daydreaming Becomes a Problem." Somer.co.il, 9 May 2016, www.somer.co.il/images/MD/2016_WSJ_MD.pdf. Accessed 29 Nov. 2017. Lecture.
- ↑ Somer, E; Soffer-Dudek, N; Ross, CA (July 2017). "The Comorbidity of Daydreaming Disorder (Maladaptive Daydreaming)". The Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease. 205 (7): 525–530. doi:10.1097/NMD.0000000000000685. PMID 28598955.
- ↑ Bigelsen J, Schupak C. Compulsive fantasy: proposed evidence of an under-reported syndrome through a systematic study of 90 self-identified non-normative fantasizers. Consciousness and Cognition. 2011;20(4):1634–1648. doi: 10.1016/j.concog.2011.08.013. PMID 21959201
- ↑ Bigelsen, Jayne; Kelley, Tina (29 April 2015). "When Daydreaming Replaces Real Life". The Atlantic. Retrieved 5 December 2017.
- ↑ Bigelsen, Jayne; Lehrfeld, Jonathan M.; Jopp, Daniela S.; Somer, Eli (May 2016). "Maladaptive daydreaming: Evidence for an under-researched mental health disorder". Consciousness and Cognition. 42: 254–266. doi:10.1016/j.concog.2016.03.017. ISSN 1090-2376. PMID 27082138.
- ↑ Marchetti I, Koster EHW, Klinger E, Alloy LB. Spontaneous thought and vulnerability to mood disorders: The dark side of the wandering mind. Clinical Psychological Science. 2016;4(5):835–57. doi: 10.1177/2167702615622383 PMID 28785510PMC 5544025
- ↑ Somer, Eli. (2002). Maladaptive Daydreaming: A Qualitative Inquiry. Journal of Contemporary Psychotherapy. 32. 197-212. 10.1023/A:1020597026919.
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