[BubonicPlague]

I swear I've figured it all out now. I keep on forgetting to tell my therapist and nurse practitioner that this is what is mainly bothering me the most. I've told them about this, but I don't I've said what I wanted to be helped on.

After doing some reading and thinking back on what has been going on in my head (but doing that has been hard because my thoughts would be interrupted by something else, and then it would turn into a day dream).

In the past I would remember having these really vivid fantasies. As a little girl, I would draw them in notebooks and down on paper. People would say that I was good drawer. Later on as I would go through phases in passions, I started writing stories that involved myself in them. I wanted to be a part of it. I wanted to be there in the imaginative realm.

However, this has taken toll on my education. I would be reminded that I keep doing my school work. I would be called out for not paying attention. It would even affect my grades because I wouldn't care to study, and I spent my time in a trance like state.

Day dreaming distracts me when I'm reading, writing, and listening. Without warning, music starts playing in my head, or scene from a movie or a line from book pops up. I'm watching the movie in my head and I can hear dialogue being spoken to me in my head.

Day dreaming controls my emotions. These fantasies that I end up being created in my head affect how I feel. I could day dream of me being held in a man's warm arms being caressed and kissed passionately, and I become sexually aroused. I day dream of being murdered, beaten, bullied, humiliated, a loved one dying, or committing suicide and onset of doom, anxiety, and sadness overwhelms me. I day dream of me being a great belly dancer, or a seductive, attractive woman, and I get a feeling of confidence.

It has caused me forget what has happened in what ever I was doing. I have to go back and reread passages in articles online and books. Whenever someone speaks, I usually can't hear what they're saying because of what is going on in my head. As I am staring at that I type on screen, I can slightly see it in double. I even see static, and I thought I've seen faint outlines of a person in dark places. And I don't know if this is normal or not, but I look at something and then look away from it, I see from what it appears to be an outline (that looks faint) of the object or figure.

When I day dream of bad things happening I worry they will come true. I keep on day dreaming of being hit by a car on the road I live on. I feel like they are more likely to happen then something good. When I think of good things happening, they never come true. It's because the negative is more realistic than the positive.

Hell, I even daydreamed me talking to you. I thought I wasn't going to do it. And now I'm day dreaming that I won't get many answers or relations to my post.

[Travelinglady]

Hi, BubonicPlague. Yes, it would be good if you could remember to tell your therapist about what's happening. It even sounds like you are daydreaming the worse about the future, which obviously relates to anxiety.

[thickntired]

That is all I did in high school, but then I grew out of it for the most part. I was diagnosed ADD.

[BubonicPlague]

Originally Posted by thickntired

That is all I did in high school, but then I grew out of it for the most part. I was diagnosed ADD.

I haven't grown out of it. In fact, it's stronger than it was before.

With my nurse practitioner, I tried to see if I would qualify for ADD medication. After screening she told me I was one point off. I was told that I had inattentiveness symptoms, but it didn't make me irritable or hyper in anyway.

[BubonicPlague]

I talked to my T just a few hours ago.

I was able to explain to him more in depth.

I get distracted because what I read or hear comes to me visually in my head. I can vividly picture in my head what is being read or talked about. That is when it leads onto different thoughts that make me stray far from what I was doing.

He told me that my day dreams are so vivid, that they almost appear to be hallucinogenic.

We're going find ways that work on helping me staying focused when doing school work.

The same thing happens to me, the whole vivid daydreaming/experiencing the emotions from what I see in my head. I think it's a sign of very high creativity and not a psychiatric issue in and of itself. I don't think it's a hallucination either as it's different than a hallucination I've had (which was auditory if it makes any difference). These sounds and and images feel like they're coming from within your mind, while hallucinations feel like they're coming from outside your head and seem like they're actually real.

The only thing that should be considered a problem is that it's difficult to concentrate on most things for very long. I have noticed though that the more I'm interested in something, the more I can focus for longer periods of time. And I need a lot of creative outlets in order to keep it under control. My main issue at the moment is I pretty much have to take something (melatonin at the moment) so I can go to sleep. As I'm sure you know, it's difficult to go to sleep when you close your eyes only to see/hear/experience a movie/TV show.

Also, it's going to be difficult to ever concentrate on stuff you're not interested in. Study in small chunks of time or switch between different subjects as they become boring to you/your brain. I also almost always have TV/music in the background…which for some reason helps me concentrate. If you're anything like me, you almost need to be constantly overstimulated or you'll zone out and the movies/concerts in your head begin and obliterate everything else. That can be distracting too, so you may need to experiment to see what works best for you. But I would say don't rush into using medication to suppress it as once you can control it, it's really a blessing and apparently a rare talent to have (I thought most people were able to daydream on this level but I guess not? I guess that explains why I seem so weird to other people or something…).

[thickntired]

I am not hyperactive at all because I don't have adhd. I get irritated from bipolar. A lot of people have add in conjunction with other mental illnesses. Maybe you should get a 2nd opinion. A ton of doctors are leary about the diagnosis because many people fake the symptoms. Adderal is almost as abused as pain pills.

[resting50]

I've found that Vinpocetine makes it much easier to resist daydreaming. 50mg in the morning with food, and usually the whole day, daydreaming happens less often.

[resting50]

I should have said before, to be safe, if anyone wants to try it, it's best to start at 10mg in the morning, then maybe 30 mg another day when you are ready. I've heard one of my relatives, whom I recommended it to, had worsened anxiety from 30 mg. I've noticed nothing but positive effects all-around from 50 mg.

[blind archer]

Maladaptive Daydreaming Symptoms:

Daydreaming excessively in a way that is often compared to an addiction.
This excessive daydreaming often begins in childhood.
Books, movies, music, video games, and other media may be a daydreaming trigger.
The daydreaming itself is often detailed and elaborate, sometimes compared to a movie or novel.
Repetitive movements while daydreaming are common (but not always present in sufferers) - pacing, rocking, spinning, shaking something in their hand, etc.
They may sometimes talk, laugh, cry, gesture, or make facial expressions as they daydream. People suffering from this know the difference between daydreaming and reality, and do not confuse the two; this makes them distinctly different from psychotics or schizophrenics.
Some people will lie in bed for hours daydreaming, and may either have difficulty going to sleep because of this, or have difficulty getting out of bed once awake. They may also neglect basic functions such as regular meals, etc. because of excessive daydreaming.

In my opinion, excessive daydreaming is unhealthy ONLY when it cause real difficulties or problems in your life, interferes with the way you function in your real life, or acts as a genuine and consistent replacement for real life. In my opinion, that would be the main criteria for deciding if it is a problem.