Notes from Vlog 4 - Am I diseased?

[Cordellia Amethyste Rose]

Hi guys,

Here are my notes from Vlog 4. I always type some up in case I choke or forget to say something.

* First, I would like to welcome all the new members to mysite. We're very glad to have you. You've had a lot of greatideas so far, and a lot of you really just want to help,and I think that's just great.

* The next thing I want to talk about is the debate over howto view Maladaptive Daydreaming. I know it's frustrating to have a new condition and on one handrecognize the need for help.......but on the other hand not towant to be seen as diseased. Believe me, I've been "abnormal"all my life, and I'm as sick of the label as anyone. I'm reallytired of how the general public views people with any sort ofpsychological difference. I think it's kind of childish and silly to call people crazy and want to change them. I think we all have our issues that we need help with. People don't have to be "sick" to need some sort of help. I think that asking for help and learning to understand your brain is about the most healthy thing you can do.

*Honestly, after years and years of talking to doctors and listening to a lot of BS and crap diagnoses........I don't think there is such a thing as a mental disorder. I think it's all just a bunch of adjectives. I think that any condition should be looked at like a collection of adjectives at most. I think that labeling serves a purpose, but a very minute one. I think that labeling a condition is just a way to look it up, sopeople can try and see what things have worked to help people who need help. Not everyone needs help, either.

* So, are we diseased or do we just have some weird trait? Well, we're definitely not diseased. It's just a condition where our brains think differently. We think more. Some of us started as an escape. Others just got inspired by something really cool they saw. Whatever the reason, we started doing it more & more.Our brains just took daydreaming to a new level, for the good and for the bad.

* It's not a problem for everyone, but everyone needs to pay attention because like anything, it can get out of control. It just needs to be managed. We owe it to ourselves to pay attention to our brains and make sure they're working at their best. For even the worst of us, it has some great creative and therapeutic benefits. If it's under control, and you're only experiencing those benefits then great. More power to ya. In fact, if you have any tips you want to share please do. You don't have to have it severely like I do to post on my forum. It doesn't have to be a problem at all. I want to include everyone, so we don't only see the negative. *This condition exists on a very wide spectrum, and if people who maintain healthy outer lives don't speak up and be counted............well then it's going to end up looking like a disorder. If you don't want it to be seen as a horrible addiction then people who are not horribly addicted need to speak up more.

*The reality is, if we do one day get it into the DSM then it will probably be called a disorder. Try, if you can, not to get hung up on that. I would like to change that. I would like the whole psychological community to stop seeing everyone with any mental "condition" as diseased, frankly. If I had it my way, and I fully intend to keep trying to get it my way, then it'll all just be seen as adjectives.

*Will drug companies pounce on this? Well, probably, but so what? Who cares? I don't. I've been given a lot of drugs in my life. I tried them all because I wanted to give every treatment a shot. They didn't work, so I told my doc and stopped. Were my docs thrilled about this? Well, no, but it's not up to them. Doctors, and especially drug companies, are not the boss of me. We have to be active participants in our own healing, or we simply won't heal from anything, ever. So, if you have any condition, not this one, keep an open mind and try whatever sounds good to you. You're the boss. If something doesn't work, you can quit. What feels right is your barometer for what is right. Ok? So, don't worry. If you have it badly like I do, do whatever you need to get help. If you're fine and don't want to change, no one's going to make you. Just pay attention to how things are going and make sure it doesn't become a problem.

[Cordellia Amethyste Rose]

Lots of people don't.  It has wondrous benefits along with the negative side effects (when we're addicted).  If we can control the addictive part and harness the good, we may discover ourselves to be wonderfully gifted.

[roxanne]

most people that know me consider me very extroverted and have no idea how much time i spend in the playgrounds of my mind.  i do see it as addictive, but so are many things that we really enjoy; anything that activates the dopamine system (that is, anything we really get off on) is potentially addictive.  I for one don't intend to give it up.