Is Maladaptive Daydreaming a Personality Disorder?
Question by SLB: Is maladaptive daydreaming a personality disorder?
Since I was about 11 years old, I’ve always set some time (usually between an hour and two) aside every night to listen to music, usually before bed. I plug in my ipod, and just zone. I’d daydream – mostly invent stories in my head, or imagine myself as being popular, or older, or whatever. This is usually accompanied by pacing back and forth in my room. Any time my brain’s not fully occupied, and even sometimes when it is, I find myself slipping into a daydream. I can’t help it- it’s almost like a compulsion.
I force myself to wait to do it until everyones asleep, in fear that someone will notice and find it, or me, strange. I think about it from the moment i wake up up until the time i actually do it. What to think about that night while pacing, how much longer until i can do it again? Thoughts of pacing + daydreaming come impulsively throughout the day and every time they pop into my head i feel anxious knowing that I have to wait until midnight to do it. I realize daydreaming and pacing are not normal behaviors, especially for 15 year old girls. It keeps me from spending the night with friends or going over to family’s houses. Sometimes it will keep me from being social altogether.
Every night I’ll come up with a story line and go with it. I usually get emotionally attached to them, to the point where the outcome of my daydream can affect the rest of my day.
However, I like doing it and I find myself more relaxed afterwards. It’s a huge stress reliever (for the most part), as going a day without it will make me an anxious wreck. I am very obsessive about it. It is an addiction and compulsion to say the least.
So I guess what I’m asking is if this would be considered a personality disorder.
Best answer:
Answer by Janay
I’m 15 too and I daydream a lot. I do have anxiety and mood problems and it helps me if I can daydream a positive scenario. I usually do this when I’m tired like before sleeping or even listening to music. I don’t see anything wrong with daydreaming. I do pace a lot and end up day dreaming and then I zone out of it and be like what just happened. When I was younger I wanted to be a singer I always would vision myself on the stage in front of many people singing and dancing. Also, I kind of had a story aswell. A visual story in my mind. Now I dream about what I want in ny future like my dream job, my wedding, having a baby, stuff like that. If it seems to relieve stress than that’s a good way to cope by daydreaming.
Answer by Tams
Personally, I only found out that I suffer from Maladaptive daydreaming the other day. Problem is for me, I actually move about my room, or talk/whisper, laugh and sometimes cry. I am always worried my parents/sibling would hear me talking to myself. :/ I don’t think it’s a personality disorder…I mean, I have other disorders too (Aspergers and Misophonia) but those things make me who I am. Often, (from what I’ve read), Maladaptive daydreaming is caused by lonliness (in my case, yeah), a truama from the past or something like that or it’s just a huge amount of creativity and a way of expressing it (also me)), it just means that someone is very creative. You might wanna find out if you have ADD or Aspergers or something like that. I know, like you, I find daydreaming very relaxing. Problem is, I can spend HOURS just daydreaming (and moving/talking in the privacy of my room) and time just flys. I’m also a teenage girl, so I know where you are coming from.
The thing is though, people who suffer from this DON’T lose touch with reality, you need to get out as well and meet real people.
I know sometimes it can be dissapointing, you know, the fact that the world you already have is probably better than the one you live in.
The most important thing is to keep in touch with the real world.
If you enjoy the daydreaming, don’t stop all together, just make sure you limit yourself I guess. :/ On the way to social events I go to, I daydream about stuff! I stop when I meet people.
So erm…haha, this was long, but I guess my answer to your question would be no.
I don’t think it’s considered as a personality disorder, but a neurological one? Perhaps?
Just my opinion though! If you’re going around like the person who is you in your daydreams in the real world (and if THAT YOU is different to the REAL YOU) then I guess it becomes a personality disorder. I believe that it’s just creativity, and a lot of it! So much of it that you have to express it.
I hope this helped! 🙂
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