“My trauma didn’t make me stronger. It made me addicted to escapism and terrified of facing reality.” – Anonymous
Maladaptive daydreaming is a mental health disorder where a person daydreams excessively, usually for hours at a time as a coping mechanism for other disorders and/or trauma they have experienced. The term maladaptive indicates that this behavior is unhealthy and a negative way of adapting to a situation.
These daydreams are extremely vivid and occur for long periods of time. There is also evidence to suggest that these daydreams are a compulsion that makes it difficult to control when and where they happen and also makes them difficult to stop. The daydreams associated with this disorder are very complex and can have repeating “characters” or storylines that move from one daydream to the next. Sometimes the daydreams are so intense that the person can disconnect completely from reality, similar to a dissociative episode.
Many people with maladaptive daydreaming disorder experience the building of something called a paracosm. Paracosm was a word coined in the mid-1970s by Ben Vincent, a participant in a study on this phenomenon. It can be defined as a “detailed imaginary world.” These worlds often have emotional ties to the person creating them and can feature many complex parts, including maps, original languages, and an entirely constructed history. A famous example of a paracosm would be JRR Tolkien’s Middle-Earth.
Paracosms are not inherent to maladaptive daydreaming, but many people with this disorder have built one, if not several of these worlds into which they stage their daydreams. Paracosms can sometimes include characters from television, movies, and other media to which individuals directly relate , but in other cases, all things in the paracosm are purely invented by the individual.
“I’m googling when electricity was invented so my daydream universe set in the 1800s is historically accurate.” -Anonymous
All of these aspects can have a direct effect on the person’s ability to accomplish goals or complete tasks. This disorder can also affect a person’s desire to interact with others socially, as many people with this disorder prefer to daydream rather than attend social functions and interact with others. These direct impacts on daily life can lead to intense feelings of shame or guilt as well as the desire to stop daydreaming completely. However, daydreaming for people with this disorder is similar to? an addiction and can be difficult to stop.
“Sorry. Can’t hang out, I’m making up scenarios in my head. Sorry, no, it’s going to take up all my time.” – Anonymous
So, what triggers a daydream? There are many reasons a person with the maladaptive daydreaming disorder would enter a daydream. They might be in a very stressful situation or be suddenly reminded of a trauma that had a large impact on them. They could have been avoiding daydreaming for a long time and finally they give into the compulsion in order to relieve the stress from resisting. Or, they could have consumed a piece of media that triggered a response. All of these things can cause a person to enter a vivid daydream.
It is a common problem for people with maladaptive daydreaming disorder to get recognition. This disorder hasn’t been recognized officially so there are no standards for diagnosis or treatment. Mental health providers can be skeptical of its impact on those suffering from the disorder. But just because something isn’t recognized by the medical field, doesn’t mean it isn’t real for the person experiencing it. Many mental health providers can check for this disorder by investigating whether or not the patient has any comorbidities (e.g., ADHD).
It’s important to acknowledge the experiences of people with maladaptive daydreaming disorder in order to help others who may share their experiences to identify what is happening and find support or help if necessary.