Are my fantasies going to swallow me for good?Can this ge worse?

[Julie Maller]

I just found out today that I might suffer from maladaptive daydreaming, tho Im not 100%sure yet.

My daydreaming started as a kid but just now as im 22 it got relly bad and now I realize I do this more than I should.

I have had social phobia and anxiety for 6 years, before that propably a decade of emetophobia what started when I was 7. Last summer I started lexapro that triggered me with derealization that has continued to this date (even tho I stopped eating it) along with the medication came insomnia, depression, obsessive thoughts, + more anxiety too, and then ofcourse the daydreaming.

In the summer I have had lots of relationship messes, losing more than one friend and a sister because of huge rows, and also problems with my boyfriend (im co-dependant on him)

In my daydreams Im often fantasizing about situations that are linked to these people and these rows, seeing movie like how I would stand up for myself, usually dramatically saying how I suffer etc, tho I see lots of other "movies" aswell, making friends with my "enemies" (or sometimes putting my "enemies" and people who hve pullied me in their Place and make the jealous,) being popular and sometimes powerfull, people like, me getting married to my boyfriend, even fictious sessions with my psyhologist, what I would say to her etc.

I remember one daydream which I had as a kid, maybe 4-5 years old, that me, my sister and other children in the same daycare would be like one big happy family. (I was a bit lonely before going to first grade)

These daydreams happen uncontrollably, tho I can stop when I realize Im doing it but soon forget and focus on the daydreams again. Sometimes its so bad that I cant concentrate talking to my friends or other people, I just stop listening and start dreaming.

Is this maladaptive daydreaming, and can it get worse, to the point where Im living in this dream world almost all the time? Can it be a sign of schizophrenia? (I have had major fear and anxiety about shizo for months, it has almost become a phobia for me..)

[Julie Maller]

Also, I constantly have an inner dialogue going on in my head, Like I think out loud. Does someone else do it?

Also is it normal that this daydreaming gets worse in this age (at22)? Does it lead to something? Can u be cured?

[The1andonlyAbber]

I'm not sure exactly how bad it can get. I know it can't turn into schizophrenia, though, so don't worry about that. By the way, I also think to myself by having conversations in my head with my characters; I thought I was the only one!

[The1andonlyAbber]

You can get MDD at any age. There isn't a cure yet, but some people on here say that taking certain medicines meant for other things can help make it less bad. I'm not sure what you mean by it "leading to something", but I'm pretty sure that having MDD won't automatically make you get a bunch of other disorders (you may develop social anxiety if you always choose daydreaming over spending time with friends, though).