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'Maladaptive Daydreaming' could be a unique mental disorder, study suggests


Still Waters

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Maladaptive daydreaming is the act of immersing oneself in detailed, imaginative fantasies that consume one’s attention at the expense of everyday functioning. This type of daydreaming shares some overlap with symptoms of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), a condition involving difficulty maintaining attention.

However, the authors of the current study proposed a distinction between MD and ADHD. The researchers suggest that the daydreaming associated with ADHD is better described as mind wandering — the spontaneous shifting of attention to task-unrelated thoughts. Maladaptive daydreaming, on the other hand, is defined by daydreaming that is intentional, complex, and vivid. These distinctions are important because the two forms of daydreaming may have different underlying mechanisms and call for different treatment.

https://www.psypost.org/2022/04/study-suggests-maladaptive-daydreaming-should-be-classified-as-a-unique-mental-disorder-distinct-from-adhd-63025

https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/jclp.23355

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I think this type of daydreaming is probably very common in children i.e. a stage of their development, and therefore the authors need to rein in the 'mental disorder' label. Having said that . . :D . . as a small child, right through to late teens, I daydreamed in this way. Between me and the real world there was often a 'film' running that took up most of my attention. I do think that 'mental disorder' is an exaggerated term though; after all, many ideas that have proved helpful to the whole of mankind have come from daydreaming. On a personal level, daydreaming can help one solve problems and construct achievable goals and get through the tedious times in life. :)

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On 4/30/2022 at 11:42 AM, Still Waters said:

Maladaptive daydreaming is the act of immersing oneself in detailed, imaginative fantasies that consume one’s attention at the expense of everyday functioning. This type of daydreaming shares some overlap with symptoms of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), a condition involving difficulty maintaining attention.

However, the authors of the current study proposed a distinction between MD and ADHD. The researchers suggest that the daydreaming associated with ADHD is better described as mind wandering — the spontaneous shifting of attention to task-unrelated thoughts. Maladaptive daydreaming, on the other hand, is defined by daydreaming that is intentional, complex, and vivid. These distinctions are important because the two forms of daydreaming may have different underlying mechanisms and call for different treatment.

https://www.psypost.org/2022/04/study-suggests-maladaptive-daydreaming-should-be-classified-as-a-unique-mental-disorder-distinct-from-adhd-63025

https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/jclp.23355

At the age of 13 my teacher told my parents I wouldn`t finish high school with any qualifications. I was more interested in day dreaming and gazing out the window than learning. I was so far behind she didnt see any realistic possibility in me even getting any qualifications.

So it got to my exams, I passed the lot and many with good grades, carried on and got 2 degrees. What the hell do teachers know? My day dreaming was about how high I believed I would rise in life, so what my teacher missed was my drive.

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On 4/30/2022 at 7:03 AM, ouija ouija said:

the authors need to rein in the 'mental disorder' label.

From what I can tell pretty much everything is a supposed mental disorder now. Seems like a label that's just tacked onto anything.

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