maladaptive daydreaming?

OMG! This embarassing and secretive thing i do has a name!! maladaptive daydreaming! which i discovered thru internet searches here on pc!! so i know it has been discussed before, but maybe not recently.

i really always thought i was weird, or wondered if it was a dissociative disorder. i role play constantly in my head. much more so when i am depressed or stressed. i imagine myself as something pretty darn near perfect. i either make-up other ppl around me, or use ppl i know from real life. i fantasize that they are totally in awe of my awesomeness

does anyone else do this or want to discuss it?

This book really helped me: Daydreaming: Unlock the Creative Power of Your Mind: Diane Barth: 9780140250312: Amazon.com: Books

I dont do this, but my girlfriend has said something about it before. From what i understand about it i dont think its something to be embarrassed about.

That's funny you brought this up cause I do it almost everyday myself. I like to look at myself as a hero in a lot of my daydreams.

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I have done this my whole life, ever since I started grade school (from what I can remember). I do it all the time. At first, it didn't really do me any good, and I was once put on ADHD medication in first grade to do my work (Although, it wasn't just the pill that worked, but it was when mom threatened, and I quote from the key words that had me working in fear, "I will beat your ***.").

Now I use it in order to see who is talking to me in my head (The fallen angel- Mariah.), but just because I have maladaptive imagination doesn't mean that everything is fake. The spiritual entities have their own personalities and lives worth living too.

Yep, I do this. I invent imaginary lives in my head, sometimes based on people around me and sometimes totally made up.

I make up stories about people I would love to be and focus the story around imaginary people I would love to meet. I always thought it was just being creative or because I was meant to be a writer. I've been doing it since I was a little girl, probably for 10 years now.

I did this a lot as a kid and do it whenever things aren't going well. I was surprised it has a name too. I first heard about it on a you tube video

I do this a lot myself. Me being a hero or rock star or being somehow involved in a major news story where I am the center of attention. Eg. saving someone from a burning building or helping bring about peace in the middle east

Ive done a little bit of research and I am unclear about when its considered a major problem. Some web sites say some people will invent unique fictional characters like in a book, giving them names, occupations, special facial feature etc. Also they will sort of zone out and prefer to be with their daydreams. Choosing their daydreams even over other pleasant events. Also they may have rhythmic body movement like rocking back and forth.

I don't do that.For me its more coming up with certain situations that may or may not involve people I know or strangers (mostly admiring me or sometimes challenging me). I don't assign or invent special details about the people or situations etc.

I think a lot of it has to do with low self esteem and loneliness. I also ruminate about past or future events. Replaying what I will do or what I should have done etc. This aspect is always triggered and made worse when under stress. When under extreme stress I will start worrying about my worrying and what I am thinking.( I guess sort of like OCD type thinking) If that happens it make me feel very depressed and down about myself in general.

I guess it is a bit comforting to know that other folks do it also so I dont feel quite as weird.

Anti-psychotics help with maladaptive daydreaming....eg Risperidal

I don't think it's psychotic. Personally, I don't think it's actually happening, I'm just imagining it.

I think it becomes a problem when it interferes with your actual life or you do it compulsively/addictively to an excessive degree. I went through a phase of getting behind on work because of it, for example.

[quote=Angst_guy7;3200080]I do this a lot myself. Me being a hero or rock star or being somehow involved in a major news story where I am the center of attention. Eg. saving someone from a burning building or helping bring about peace in the middle east

I don't do that.For me its more coming up with certain situations that may or may not involve people I know or strangers (mostly admiring me or sometimes challenging me). I don't assign or invent special details about the people or situations etc.

I think a lot of it has to do with low self esteem and loneliness. I also ruminate about past or future events. Replaying what I will do or what I should have done etc. This aspect is always triggered and made worse when under stress. When under extreme stress I will start worrying about my worrying and what I am thinking.( I guess sort of like OCD type thinking) If that happens it make me feel very depressed and down about myself in general.

I've always done that, since I was a child. I thought of it as telling myself stories, and have used them to great success in writing projects. I do asign special characteristics (completely flesh out a character, physically and emotionally) and while I enjoy the 'stories', I don't deny reality for them. I do, however, ruminate over past events, especially if I feel I've screwed up and over future events, afraid I'm *going* to screw up. And also the worrying about worrying .. which is ridiculous lol I agree, it stems from lonliness..an escape of sorts.

I've done this since I was 13 so for 7 years. I would always fantasize some sort of dramatic even that I'd be in the center of like getting into drugs or becoming a *****. Sometimes I'd get knocked up and than become a loving mother. A-lot of them were romance fantasies too; someone (guy or girl) would notice me and fall in love with me. They make me more depressed than I was already because I can't stay laying in bed forever fantasizing (longest I could go was 2 1/2 days). Definitely maladaptive...