Fantasy-prone or maladaptive daydreaming.

[LostSoul99]

I was reading an article about Fantasy-prone personality disorder. I was wondering does anyone know the difference between maladaptive daydreamers and fantasy-prone personalities.

[Francisco]

Main difference is that they don't understand difference between what's real and what's not real, like hallucinations (fantasy prones). We (maladaptive daydreamers) are aware of difference between what's real and what not.

This might be the only difference, but it's big enough so that we (people in general, health providers, MDs) consider fantasy prone completely different from maladaptive daydreaming.

[LostSoul99]

But, isn't that Schizophrenia?

[Laila]

This is the first time I've heard of FPP, but from what I've read, it seems different from Schizophrenia. Yeah, both groups of people have difficulty distinguishing reality from fantasy. But with Schizophrenia, people don't have ANY control over what they see and hear. The voices and hallucinations are generally unwanted, frightening, and cause distress. But with FPP, people create their own fantasy worlds such as to escape the harshness of reality. It sounds like a more positive experience for them, as they have a happier world to go to. I've never heard any positive experiences from people with Schizophrenia except in rare cases where the voices are friendly.

Sara Bushra said:

But, isn't that Schizophrenia?

[LostSoul99]

So basically, FPP people create an even more vivid fantasy world then us maladaptive daydreamers?

[M Hunter]

My voices are both positive and negative Laila. These days I tend to only hear from the positive voice so it does happen. 

It does seem to be a lot more in depth than MD but it's definitely a lot different than Schizophrenia. 

[Laila]

Yeah, FPP sounds way more intense. Wiki lists the characteristics, such as experiencing imagined sensations as real and having out-of-body experiences. My imagination is not that strong. Even though I can get immersed in daydreams, they never look or feel as real as the real world. That's why MDers can distinguish them no problem. I can easily snap out of it to answer a phone call or something.

Sara Bushra said:

So basically, FPP people create an even more vivid fantasy world then us maladaptive daydreamers?

[Laila]

Oh and that's very interesting; I had read a portion of your blog about your experiences. I plan to go read the whole thing when I have time because it's a fascinating read. =)

M Hunter said:

My voices are both positive and negative Laila. These days I tend to only hear from the positive voice so it does happen. 

It does seem to be a lot more in depth than MD but it's definitely a lot different than Schizophrenia. 

[Wish Upon A Wish]

From just reading through these comments, it sounds almost like we may have something like borderline FPP or something. Could that be possible? Or maybe they have an extreme version of what we have?

[Laila]

Even though some symptoms overlap, the differences are still profound... I'd probably need to experience a traumatic psychological event to be able to daydream that intensely. But I see what you're saying. Maybe they all started out having MD, and under certain conditions (isolation, traumatic event, strong spiritual teachings, etc), later developed into FPP. I daydream a lot, but it's not nearly as excessive, nor is it enough on it's own, to make me at risk... xD

Wish Upon A Wish said:

From just reading through these comments, it sounds almost like we may have something like borderline FPP or something. Could that be possible? Or maybe they have an extreme version of what we have?

[Dani]

I read that people with FPP often have trouble differentiating between what's real and what's not, whereas we know that our daydreams are not real.

[Rashomon Effect]

I don't believe there is technically or officially a difference between the two FPP and MD. Psychologist feel people with FPP are more easily hypnotized, more likely to experience false memories, have less self control and more likely to experience failure of the executive function of the brain. That doesn't mean a person with FPP actually believes their daydreams are real. It means they are more susceptible to things like false memories. The term is Fantasy Prone Personality not Trapped in Fantasy Personality. 

It is accurate to say that people who identify themselves as MD are fantasy prone and they may very possibly fit the definition of FPP, but because MD is self diagnosed and people don't like to acknowledge negative things about themselves, they are probably not going to be so quick to self identify as FPP. Currently MD is pretty much whatever people who identify as MD want MD to be. 

Being more susceptible to something doesn't mean that a person is at the mercy of that inclination. Lots of people inherit genetics that predispose them for  cancer, heart disease, obesity, diabetes, or all of the above.  Two of the healthiest people I know were diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes as children. They are more mindful of eating healthy and exercising than most people.  I know lots of people with diabetes. Each person responds to the diagnosis differently. For many, the negative impact diabetes has on their life is exacerbated by actions that are completely within their control; not necessarily easy, but within their control. The same is true with people whose lives are negatively impacted by MD.

Just because a person has ADD, FPP, OCD or the increasingly popular MD, they still (to a very large extent and for most people) have control over how they respond to having the condition.