Forgive me if this thread is in the wrong forum. I truely dont know how to catagorize this particular health issue. I have very little experience in the field of mental health and am looking for direction. I am a 23 year old male studying sociology and anthropology and in my head there is a very extensive and detailed fantasy world.
It is an alternate reality in which I have actively constructed geography, culture, and societies down to their individual institutions and languages. It has become the most encompassing aspect of my life and I am constantly thinking and mentaly revisiting this world.
I cannot stress the level of mental energy I put into this fantasy every day of my life. This is not a hobby. I only pay attention to the real world when it is necessary for my ability to function in the real world. Every other moment of my life is spent obsessing over this mentally constructed reality.
Needless to say, this has negatively affected my mental and social health. I am considered by most to be a forgetful and clumsy person. At no point have I lost track of what is real and what is fantasy, but the issues remain. I have kept this secret from even the closest of family and friends. Its been four years, but the feelings of lonliness and misunderstanding are becoming too much to bare. This is my first time coming forward, so any words of advice are welcome. Any further questions are also welcome