Maladaptive Daydreaming Disorder

I kill the imaginary characters in my head as well. New ones pop up but I keep either forgetting them by focusing my attention on elsewhere or kill them and never think about them again. It's a win-win situation.

Well almost everybody daydreams to the point of zoning out at some time. It's hard to say how many have it so bad it's a maladaptive trait that does significant harm to their lives.

That sounds like me. I retreat to it when I just can't bring myself to deal with it all. It's not like I was beaten or raped either, although I was mistreated. Badly enough to warrant all this? Compared to others? I don't think so. But how the heck should I know? I haven't lived other people's lives. Certainly I did not -- and still do not -- get certain basic human needs adequately met.

Sorry I haven't been keeping up in the depression forum. I hope you're doing okay Rose.

Thank you, Cepheid. I'm okay.

I think it's a 2-edged sword. Like, it can be a strength and a weakness depending on the context the person's in. It's pretty maladaptive behind the wheel of a motor vehicle. (I managed to total out my first 3 cars during low speed crashes.) But it's said that creative people often have this tendency. I believe it allowed me to think outside the box at times. I tended to feel very comfortable inside my own head. That can be a strength . . . or not, depending.

I do this all the time behind the wheel. I think I have the ability to do both at the same time. I have never been in an accident.

I absolutely think outside the box all the time. I have a zillion examples of doing that.

Even as a kid though my parents said I had an active imagination.

One issue this I think works with is NOT liking fiction stories. For the most part I feel like I can do a better job on fiction stories and or... often if they do a good job I day dream other ways they could have gone.