Explore Over 11,000+ Conditions, Medications, and Symptoms.

Get a personalized feed by signing up for free.

Maladaptive Daydreaming

by Alike Medical Team ∙ Updated on June 13, 2023

Additional names

This group contains additional names: - Excessive daydreaming

General

Although it is still not yet included in the DSM, maladaptive daydreaming, also known as excessive daydreaming, is a psychiatric condition that was identified by Professor Eliezer Somer of the University of Haifa in Israel in 2002. It is suggested that in those who suffer from it there is extensive fantasy activity that replaces human interaction and/or interferes with academic, interpersonal, or vocational functioning.

368 people with Maladaptive Daydreaming are on Alike.

"Alike is the place to get answers from people who firsthand share your health challenges"

Signs & symptoms

The common symptoms of maladaptive daydreaming include: exceptionally vibrant daydreams with story-like features, daydreams triggered by real-life events, difficulty completing daily assignments, sleeping problems, performing repetitive movements, facial expressions or speaking while daydreaming. daydreaming for prolonged periods (from many minutes to hours)

Diagnosis

The disorder is not mentioned in the DSM and therefore there are no clear diagnosis criteria. Somer has developed a scale that rates the five key characteristics of maladaptive daydreaming called the Maladaptive Daydreaming Scale (MSD). These characteristics include: the content and quality (detail) of dream, a person’s ability to control their dreams and compulsion to dream, the amount of distress caused by daydreaming, a person’s perceived benefits of daydreaming and how much daydreaming interferes with a person’s ability to carry out their daily activities. People also rate how often they experience maladaptive daydreaming symptoms. This tool is still being researched.

Treatment

There is not a clear protocol for treatment. Psychotherapy like CBT might be helpful and a research showed some benefits to treatment with Fluvoxamine, an antidepressant of the SSRI class.

Note

☝ We provide information on prescription and over-the-counter medicines, diagnosis, procedures and lab tests. This material is provided for educational purposes only and is not medical advice, diagnosis or treatment.

pp-logo

Alike is a transformative platform that goes beyond just bringing together patients; it meticulously connects individuals based on multiple critical factors, such as age, gender, comorbidities, medications, diet, and more, fostering a community of knowledge, support and empathy.

appStoreBtngooglePlayBtn

© 2020-2024 Alike, Inc