Question regarding MD Suffering:

[Terrell]

I've noticed that several members here have mentioned how long they have suffered from MD, and how it has resulted in many problems in their lives. I sympathize with you if this has been your experience. I hope you can find the support and the help you need. I have some knowledge of how some things in our lives can become very addictive and if not addressed and treated, they can cause chaos and other problems in our lives. However, it has been my personal experience that MD, if that is indeed what I have, has not caused any problems in my life, or nothing serious. Oh, I may have almost been caught talking out loud when I thought no one else could hear, but that has rarely happened. In fact, I can't recall one time it has happened, at least in my adult life. With that said, I can't honestly say that I have actually "suffered" from MD at all. It's something I do when alone or when I can do it covertly, so the risk of discovery is almost nil. I don't remember doing it so much that it caused me to miss work, or be late, or anything like that. I'm just curious if there is anyone else who feels like I do, that MD is, to them, not a distraction from reality so much as it is a means of escaping it, or simply a way to pass the time, as one would watch a TV show or listen to a CD, or play a board game or video game. Any of those just listed could possibly become a serious distraction if allowed to, especially by a person with an addictive personality. I just wonder if there is anyone like me, who feels MD has not been so much of any enemy, as it has a companion? With me, it's not an all-consuming obsession. It's merely an activity that I engage it when I have time. For that reason, I am not seeking treatment for it. That would only happen if I were to suspect there is something seriously and mentally wrong with me. Indeed, I have asked myself that very question many times, but since the MD has produced no harmful results that I can tell, and since I have discovered that I am not alone and this disorder or whatever it is, is more common than I suspected, I see no reason to stop.

Does anyone else share similar views, or am I the only one who feels it doesn't have to be a curse?

[Floris]

I feel exactly like you Terrell, DD-ing is hardly a curse for me, it's been wonderful as a distraction for an otherwise easily bored mind. It's just that I sometimes catch myself DD-ing a bit at work or at something else where I need to concentrate, sometimes a TV show I need to pay attention to or somebody telling me something. Concentration can be an issue at times but I've always been smart enough to get away with it. I want to learn more discipline paying attention. But when I'm alone as you describe, it's not always an issue, it's just that I have to decide what I want to do, focus on that and not get distracted every time. Distractions can be very internal since my head can quickly become a traffic jam of thoughts. 

So no, I don't want to stop either, I just want to learn more focus.

[Rachel]

I do not see Maladaptive Daydreaming as a curse, but it has definitely affected my life. Now that I have more experience living with it, I can focus on the real world more than I could a couple years ago, but I still daydream constantly and I still get caught rocking back and forth or side to side by my parents often.

[Paracosm]

Thanks for linking to that article. It's been a while since I read about FPP, so I had forgotten some of the common symptoms. I can relate to 7 or 8 of the symptoms, although not all of them are constant, and some of them were only present when I was a kid. I was a pretty weird kid, lol. I was extremely superstitious. I thought if I tied my right shoe before my left, the day would go differently for me than if I were to tie my left first, and I could therefore control the outcome (or so I thought). I liked to step off the stairs on the same foot every time. My sister used to make fun of me when I wouldn't say or do certain things around my dolls because I thought they could hear and see me. I also thought I had special abilities, like being able to talk to animals, foretelling the future, and I had convinced myself that my fantasies were real. Fortunately, I know better now, lol.

Obviously, many people with FPP claim to have psychic powers and all that stuff, and from what I've seen during my time reading on this site, that doesn't appear to be a common trait for MDers. So, never mind about my idea of all MDers having an FPP.

[Terrell]

Interesting comments. Did some reading about FPP and, based on the criteria supplied in some of the articles, including this one,

http://theness.com/neurologicablog/index.php/the-fantasy-prone-pers...

I have to conclude that I am not a likely candidate for FPP. I only have 2 or 3 of the symptoms, so my assumption is it's not very likely that I have it.

[taffle]

For the most part, I see MD as a hobby. It's like watching a movie or playing an RPG game. I am also able to write out stories with it. However, there have been times when I misuse MD. For example, when I experience traumatic events in life, I use MD to cope. I imagine negative scenarios where my characters are harmed, and this somehow makes me feel better.

[Wish Upon A Wish]

My friend does the same, and I think the difference between what you and she does and what we do is that we're basically addicted to it, or that's what it feels like, and that's why it causes problems for us but not for you.

I envy you for that.

[Paracosm]

Interesting. Are you sure that you actually have MD and not just an FPP (Fantasy Prone Personality)? It makes sense to me that everyone who has MD also has an FPP, although not everyone with an FPP has MD.

I think MD is best described as a coping mechanism, rather than just a disorder. I daydream to escape reality, or when I'm bored or lonely. I don't think I could live otherwise. I see it like this: if I was in the middle of an ocean with no hope of being rescued, my MD would be floating on the surface—the only thing I could hold onto to stay alive. Life wouldn't be worth living without MD—and that's exactly what I don't like. I don't like to be dependent upon my daydreams, and yet I feel that it's the only way I can live—as artificial as it is.

MD is my enemy. in that it has taken control of me. I prefer my imagination to reality, because as funny as it sounds, it feels more real than reality (this probably has something to do with my depersonalization disorder). I withdraw from people and escape into a different world. Meanwhile, life passes me by.

My daydreams are my companions in that they give me the ability to (in a way) live through various situations without actually experiencing them. I explore new ideas and learn about myself and the world in general. When I'm lonely, I create a friendship with the figments of my mind. I long for the presence of my imaginary friends and to hear their voices. To me, they are real people. I miss them when I stop daydreaming.

Any benefits that seem to be coming from MD, in my opinion, are simply the benefits of being unusually creative. For those of us who are fantasy-prone, our daydreams are natural—it's just the way our brains are wired. We're very creative people and express it through creating complex worlds and characters. You can have these benefits without having MD. I really don't think there's anything good, healthy, or beneficial about having MD. Daydreams are a wonderful gift, but when they become obsessive, disruptive, distressing, and unwanted, that's MD.

Just my two cents.

[greyartist]

I don't consider it a gift, a habit, or an additive behavior. To me it is intrusive, disruptive, and unwanted mental disorder. Thus maladaptive. There are many on this site that are on either/both sides, in the middle and all over the place. I think it is more of a symptom of something else, and depending on what the something else is, it can be at many levels of severity and negativity. From a pleasant past time to a disabling disorder. 

[Gethin]

Like you, I would not say I "suffer" from MD. However, I have learned to control my daydreams, with help from my Autism and OCD. I am never late because of it, nor do I struggle through school and work.  I have not had a negative daydream in quite a few years, so they come to no harm for me. I would say that on occasion though, others have suffered from my MD. I can easily neglect the people in my life in favour of daydreaming.