How Does a Maladaptive Daydreamer Confide in Others?

[LostInThought4Yrs]

Wild Minds Network is like other social networking sites.  After creating an account complete with username and password, you automatically receive an Inbox, Alerts ... and it asks you to add a profile photo.   I don't know about anyone else on here, but simply creating that Wild Minds Network account (proving that I was a "real person" with an email address) took all ..  and I mean ALL ... of the courage I had.  

Adding a personal photo?  Absolutely NOT.  Somebody might be able to use that photo to reveal my identity ... no way.  The medical profession doesn't even recognize Maladaptive Daydreaming Disorder as a legitimate condition, so why would I feel comfortable enough to raise my hand and say, "Hey!  I'm even MORE BIZARRE than you probably thought I was!" 

I'm not young.  Being in my 40's, I've lived long enough to remember the days where parents routinely encouraged their children to "keep their feet on the ground" and "keep their heads out of the clouds."  THAT is how excessive and involuntary daydreaming was referred to back then ... "head in the clouds."  THAT is as far as any discussion on the matter EVER went.  Nobody EVER talked about this at the time.  Heavens, people STILL don't talk about it today!  The irony is that EVERYONE knows about this situation.  We might not discuss it, but we ALL know it exists ... we always have.  All of us have noticed "those people" who constantly look off into space in order to explore "lala land" and sometimes "talk to themselves."

So how in the world does an older individual such as myself who has had to keep this personal little secret locked up inside for decades manage to confide in ANYONE?  If someone with MDD has successfully managed to create a family for himself/herself in spite of this life-long condition, how does that same person decide to possibly put all of that at risk just in order to share the secret?  Having MDD is difficult enough as it is.  Creating a family is even more difficult with MDD ... how do the older generations safely "come out?"

The medical profession doesn't recognize MDD as a legitimate situation.  Personally, I'm insulted and disgusted by this.  It's bad enough that we've been instructed to "keep our feet on the ground" all our lives, but to have the medical profession have the gall to lecture US and tell US that it isn't considered a legitimate condition?  They don't "recognize it as a legitimate condition?"  For them to simply sweep it under the rug like that and otherwise disregard it is so sickening!  Just because it is inconvenient for them ... I'm tired of it, aren't the rest of you?  Aren't the rest of you tired of bottling this up inside of yourselves simply to appease the masses who can't even discuss daydreaming at all?

How do you come out publicly as someone with MDD?  How do you even risk confiding in someone...anyone.   Cordellia "Amethyst" Rose, I would LOVE to know how you managed to do it.

[Windy City Day Dreamer]

Hi, I am an old MDer.  I am 40 years old.   I won't come out publicly as it would potentially hurt my career. I haven't told any of my co-workers and I doubt I ever will.   I have told my aunt and uncle who are former counselors and shared scientific articles with them about it.  I have told my husband about it and explained it as an addiction to daydreaming just like someone who is addicted to alcohol, food, or drugs.  He is supportive.  I have not come out to my step-father who adopted me as he was very critical of me growing up.  I would only come out to people you trust and share with them articles about maladapative daydreaming as you would have to educate them about this condition.  Some articles in the scientific community are listed here http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maladaptive_daydreaming.  I have gone to two therapists and shared with them the scientific articles on it and they agreed that I did have maladaptive daydreaming and worked with me on it.