Survey, important, please read

[Truthful Alibi]

Hey everyone, it's great to post on this forum again.

Last night, I received a text from my friend asking for ideas on a project for a science fair. I don't see him now as he moved 200 miles away from me two years ago, but I trust more than anyone, so I explained MD to him (and also told him that I had it). He liked the idea so we have composed a survey of eight questions below.

I would really appreciate it if you could take a few minutes to fill it in. We need at least 20 replies in order to have accurate results.

We feel that this could help earn MD some publicity and maybe even help it get recognised as a real disorder.

Please help me out and fill in this survey. Thank you.

 

1) Roughly how many hours a day do you spend daydreaming?

    a) less than 1

    b) 1-2

    c) 2-3

    d) 3-4

    e) 4-5

    f) 5-6

    g) 6-7

    h) 7-8

    i) 8+

 

2) Do you notice 'patterns' in the severity of your daydreaming (e.g. you daydream more during stressful times)? If yes, explain the cause, increase/decrease of time spent daydreaming during these periods and any other details you can think of.

 

3) What, if anything, do you find helps you focus/daydream less?

 

4) Roughly what age did you start daydreaming?

     a) 0-5

     b) 5-10

     c) 10-15

     d) 15-20

     e) 20-25

     f) 25-30

     g) 30-35

     h) 35-40

     i) 40+

 

5) What, if anything, do you think caused you to start daydreaming?

 

6) What, if anything, causes you to daydream/triggers daydreaming now?

 

7) Does anyone related to you (by blood) have or appear to have MD or a disorder similar to MD (ADD, ADHD, ASperger's/Autism, OCD for example)?

8) Is there any other information regarding you daydreaming/MD that you feel would be beneficial to this study and you would like to share?

[greyartist]

1. i

2.no, it is just constant

3.listening to audiobooks. My mind pictures the book's story and so does not show the DD scenes. Still limits my focus, nothing seems to turn off the images to let me focus fully.

4.i

5.menapause hormone imbalance.

6.I do not have triggers to start DDing, I am always in a DD, there are triggers that may stop one for a short time. Having someone start talking to you, being startled, pain.

7.yes, my son, 23 seems to have MD as well. But it does not negativly effect him.

8.everyone daydreams, thats a good thing. But if you can't turn it off, it can greatly damage your life.

[Esther Rose]

1) d

2) no

3) writing

4) c

5) bullying

6) music

7) no

8) no

[Haleigh]

1. f

2. Lonliness/stress causes me to DD more.

3. Praying. It helps me focus on what's real/my surroundings.

4. b

5. Nothing started it.

6. Music, movies, tv shows, books.

7. My brother used to have ADHD, but now he has Bipolar. He paces a lot while listening to music.

8. I could probably stop if I could get rid of my characters. They're like my family/friends. Imagine if I told you to kill you're family and friends. That's how I would feel.

 

[Gethin]

1. E

2. When I am put into a situation that requires me to be social and I am not sure how to act I will daydream to avoid reality.

3. My schedules force me to concentrate when I need to.

4. A

5. It could be related to my Autism and things associated with that such as bullying, lack of social skills, etc.

6. I schedule my daydreaming, but when I do it unscheduled it is usually because I am in a situation where I do not know how to act or what to say. 

7. I personally have Autism and OCD. No one related to me has anything like that. 

[Grace]

1. i

2. No.

3. Being around friends that I actually have an interest talking to.

4. A

5. Boredom with reality

6. Music, Youtube

7. No

8. No

[Beef]

1) f

 

2) No

 

3) Unlike most MDers, listening to music actually distracts me from daydreaming

 

4) b

 

5) What, if anything, do you think caused you to start daydreaming?

 

6) Boredom

 

7) Not sure, I think my Mam might have mild OCD 

8) No

[Paracosm]

1) h (this is just a guess, since it varies each day both in length and intensity)

2) I tend to daydream more when I'm tried, usually when I should be going to bed. I haven't noticed any increase of daydreaming when I'm stressed. In fact, I tend to not want to daydream if I'm really upset.

3) If I'm doing something that needs my full attention or that needs to be done quickly, I can focus on whatever that is with minimal interference of my daydreams.

4) b

5) Loneliness, boredom, and emotional neglect.

6) Music, TV, novels, or even something as simple as something somebody says. Basically, ANYTHING.

7) No.

8) I think I also have depersonalization disorder, although I've never been professionally diagnosed. Daydreaming is one way for me to numb the symptoms.

[Wish Upon A Wish]

1) If I have study, F

If I have no reason to get out of bed, I

2) I daydream more if I'm stressed about something (like getting homework done, which just makes things worse

And if I'm tired, I'm more likely to daydream when I shouldn't be

3 )Not much, really, except that I know I have to do something and so I try to do it. Like, I'll catch myself DDing and get back to work.

4) A (I started daydreaming but, although I couldn't have stopped myself, it wasn't harmful, and I only DD'd at night and morning mostly. It started really affecting me at C)

5) No idea, but it got worse around 12/13 when I had some crappy friends, and worse again in high school, and after the September or February earthquake, not suddenly, but gradually.

6) Boredom and tiredness. If there's work I gotta do, being bored and tired makes it harder to concentrate. And lying in bed. Okay, so DD goes on most of the time but that's when it'll get more intense/vivid

7)Nope, but I may have Aspergers. I won't be getting tested properly because of reasons.

8)I don't think so... If it's a science project, maybe make sure your friend makes it clear that it feels like an addiction to a fantasy world. (Note: I say feels like, not is, because of the whole, addiction/disorder/symptom debate)

[Soul Dreamer]

1) D

2) I daydream more during times of boredom, like when stuck at home alone all day or in a dull class. When I'm stressed, I go into 'perfectionist mode' and take on too many tasks that I should've already done.

3) Nothing helps, except for spending time with others. I can't daydream with other people near me.

4) C. I started when I was around 12, but I remember having similar daydreams when I was 4/5 years old.

5) My lack of social interaction when I was 12, loneliness, some degree of depression, family situation. A lot of factors, really, but it all leads back to my family situation.

6) Boredom, any type of movie or tv show, books, walking

7) No one in my family has been diagnosed with anything, but most think my brother has a form of Autism, and his teachers think he has ADHD, while I think he just has ADD. My father was tested for ADD due to his excessive daydreaming as a child but found negative, so maybe an MDer? I don't have any contact with my father, and my mother is adopted so I'm not sure about the rest of my biological family.

8) I am not sure if I have MD (meaning only 90% sure), or just a case of ADD. I am leaning towards MD since any ADD symptoms I have are probably caused by my excessive daydreaming. Also, all of my MD daydreams are based on fantasy and have supernatural elements.

[taffle]

1. a
2. I daydream more during stressful times. When I experience bullying or something bad happened in real life, I daydream more.
3. Meditation, mindfulness, writing stories, doing interesting activities
4. a
5. I think our human brain has the natural ability to wander. My mind has been wandering a lot since childhood.
6. music, interesting movie or tv shows, fictional stories that I find interesting, stressful events
7. Yes, sibling and parents perhaps
8. Nothing else I could think of.

[Hannah Ryan]

1. i

2. I spend more time daydreaming over the summer or when I'm feeling inspired but I'm always DDing as it is.

3. Nothing can really stop me from DDing

4. a

5. I think it was my wild imagination and also, my life doesn't really have that much action so DDing makes it seem more dramatic although none of it is real.

6. Staring into space, lectures, music, books, video games are usually what triggers them the most but I'm always DDing, infact I am now.

7. Not that I know of.

8. Living with MD can impact your life in a negative way, but in my case it impacts my life in a positive way, It makes me a more creative person and a lot of my teachers say I am a good writer.

[Dusty]

1. Roughly 2-4, it depends what is counted as daydreaming

2. Increases when I have tasks I am avoiding, i.e. procrastination. Also in the past it was often due to escaping other emotions (feeling lonely, out of place). I still feel that way a lot but I've found daydreaming is only counterproductive to improving.

3. Being in public places or in any room where there are other people.

4. a) 0-5

5. Overactive imagination in early childhood. Boredom as a teen.

6. Escaping negative emotions as a young adult.

7. Likely Asperger's Syndrome, I think my dding is likely a form of stimming but it is very elaborate

8. ...