Maladaptive Daydreaming

Do you find yourself lost in music sometimes?...Or pacing around your room for hours on end that it’s a little concerning? Have you perhaps done both these things simultaneously while dissociating? Chances are, if you’ve experienced symptoms of depression or anxiety, you have. Introducing: Maladaptive daydreaming.

Before we tackle maladaptive daydreaming, what is daydreaming? Daydreaming is known as the act of making a mental narrative in your head to escape from mundane tasks. More specifically, it is the honing in on one’s inner feelings and thoughts while shifting attention away from reality and one’s surroundings (Eddens, n.d.). Daydreaming can take place at any time of day, and is characterised by its brief nature, only occurring for a few minutes at a time.

So, what is maladaptive daydreaming? Described as a compulsive (irresistible; uncontrollable) disorder where people spend extended periods of time daydreaming, specifically to mentally escape reality, the term ‘maladaptive daydreaming’ was coined in 2002 and has not yet been recognised as an official disorder in the 5th revision of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5).

Given the scarcity of research done on the condition, there’s currently no established reason why people resort to maladaptive daydreaming. However, it is most commonly suspected to be a coping strategy in response to disorders such as depression, anxiety and trauma/panic disorders. Correspondingly, maladaptive daydreaming is often comorbid with said disorders.

What’s the big deal?

Firstly, it’s called ‘maladaptive’ for a reason. The term maladaptive refers to the state of being unable to adapt to or fulfil the demands of a certain environment of a situation. With that, maladaptive daydreaming essentially inhibits us from accepting, and therefore adjusting to our reality. It’s an unhealthy coping mechanism, and as you’d expect, someone who daydreams for 7+ hours a day would lose so much of their valuable time—which could’ve been spent doing something else like work, urgent assignments, or even relaxing and sleeping.

Second, avid moviegoers would know all too well the fictional dilemma popularised by Christopher Nolan’s Inception. That is, how too much escapism and daydreaming can blur the line between reality and imagination. Obviously, we don’t have the power to enter dreams, but still. Maladaptive daydreamers may often find themselves regarding their inner thoughts as reality, distracting themselves from taking real action towards improving their lives.

Third and most importantly, maladaptive daydreaming often stems from deep insecurity.

You may tend to project an ideal version of yourself or your life into your head, and then replay that image over and over again until you end up avoiding your insecurities instead of confronting them. It satisfies the ‘what ifs’ and ‘could’ve beens’, but dwelling too much on your unchangeable past or unpredictable future sidetracks you from the very much controllable present.

Common Triggers

According to Somer (2016), maladaptive daydreaming can be triggered by certain stimuli. Here’s a list of common triggers:

• Listening to music

• Driving

• Jogging or walking

• Being alone

• Silence

What to do

Don’t immediately self-diagnose! Well, not that you can get a clinical diagnosis anyway. Instead, try talking to your friends or trusted ones about your feelings and situation, because simple words of affirmation and reassurance may be able to solve your problem from the source (your insecurities).

Next, try doing your own research! Everyone experiences maladaptive daydreaming slightly differently, and over the past years, many people have dedicated themselves into learning more about and educating others on this condition. One of these people is Alex Benoit, author of Solving Maladaptive Daydreaming: The Maladaptive Daydreaming Guide. A sufferer of the disorder himself, Benoit actively looks for effective ways to alleviate your maladaptive daydreaming, updating his published guide regularly. You can check out his website at maladaptivedaydreaming.org.

Final Notes

Like most under-researched things in the realm of psychology, maladaptive daydreaming may be argued by some to be a product of pseudoscience. Nevertheless, as evidenced by the number of articles, Twitter threads, and comments from people unanimously reporting that they definitely experience the same symptoms, it’s undeniable that excessive daydreaming is real, and the fact that most people who undergo it also have anxiety disorders is not a coincidence. Looking forward, let’s hope this term becomes more largely adopted and finally recognised in diagnosis.

Take Care :)

References:

Bigelsen, J., Lehrfeld, J.M., Jopp, D.S., Somer, E. (2016). Maladaptive daydreaming: Evidence for an under-researched mental health disorder. Consciousness and Cognition

Volume 42, May 2016, Pages 254-266. ScienceDirect. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1053810016300460

Cirino, E. (2021). Maladaptive Daydreaming. Healthline. https://www.healthline.com/health/mental-health/maladaptive-daydreaming

Eddens, A. (n.d.). Daydreaming: Definition, Types & Examples. Study.com. https://study.com/learn/lesson/daydreaming-psychology.html#:~:text=Daydreaming%20is%20the%20act%20of,Daydreaming%2C%20and%20Poor%20Attentional%20Control

Soffer-Dudek, N., Theodor-Katz, N. (2017). Maladaptive Daydreaming: Epidemiological Data on a Newly Identified Syndrome. Front Psychiatry. 2022; 13: 871041. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9091653/

Zedelius, C. M., Protzko, J., Broadway, J. M., & Schooler, J. W. (2020). What types of Daydreaming Predict Creativity? Laboratory and Experience Sampling Evidence. Psychology of Aesthetics, Creativity, and the Arts. https://psycnet.apa.org/record/2020-58576-001