Maladaptive Daydreaming Community Group
A group for those who believe they are dealing with the emerging clinical phenomena of Maladaptive Daydreaming; extensive fantasy activity which replaces human interaction and interferes with academic, interpersonal, or vocational functioning.
Hi my name is Holly, I'm 17 years old and I believe I have Maladaptive daydreaming along with a few other mental disorders but I, unfortunately, don't have the privilege of getting a diagnosis. This started when I was a kid around 8 I would daydream in the car obsessively pretending to drive and cook etc but now it's worse. Now I cant go to bed/sleep without daydreaming for about 2/3 hours. My daydreams are very vivid and I will talk out loud to myself like it's some kind of script and if it doesn't sound right I will restart from the beginning which is frustrating. Hours before bed I come up with an idea of what I want the plot to be and sometimes I even write it down and memorize it. My characters in my head are fictional my main character is the better version of me and the comfort characters atm are the avengers as I get these months-on-end fixations of tv shows that I can't live without before it used to harry potter lol. Sometimes I die in them or get hurt and the characters worry but this is what I think might be due to trauma or some form of neglect as a child I never had people worry about me for my safety so I always wanted someone to worry about me. This is also due to the fact my parents don't believe in my problems and mental problems and they think I'm overreacting but I just want to be heard. Even my school counselor doesn't think there's anything wrong but I've had lots of traumas in my life. But the thing is although its distracting I enjoy it its the only thing that makes me happy and I wouldn't want it to go away I just wish doctors/and scientists can finally diagnose it and research it.
You sound just like me. You are NOT the only one!
I am in my late 50s now. My maladaptive daydreaming has been a symptom of other problems. We don't do it without a reason! For me it is due to depression and anxiety,
I have received a lot of help from different councillors and therapists over the years with those issues, but have just realized recently that there is such a thing as maladaptive daydreaming and that I do it!
Maybe, if nobody believes you when you tell them what you KNOW is true about yourself, you could just tell them that you are depressed and anxious. Maybe they would give you someone to talk about how you feel. Then when you find someone you can trust, you can tell them more about yourself. That's what I have done, and found some wonderful helpers that way! It might get you some help too. Sometimes we can only do a little bit at a time.
Good luck and don't give up looking. None of us do this alone!