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Maladaptive Daydreaming: where wild minds come to rest
Maladaptive Daydreaming or Schiz?
I was diagnosed with schizophrenia. My psychiatrist seems to think I have auditory and visual hallucinations. But I think I have maladaptive daydreaming disorder (which is not in the DSM).
I know my sequences and characters aren't real. I can control it by changing my thoughts or distracting myself.
I think hallucinations are more vivid, like if someone is on drugs and sees pink elephants floating around the room. Mine occur internally.
The thing is, the sequences are negative in nature. Like I just pictured someone making my room messy when I'm a neat freak. I don't enjoy the hallucinations/daydreams.
Thoughts?
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Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by David Bronson Holden on
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You sound like a lovely young woman. I an old skeptic. I would ask for the basis of such a diagnosis. Remember Lincoln's quote? Some of the people are crazy all the time, and all of the people are crazy some of the time? We all have some crazy. It comes with being human. I've been DD'ing for all of the sixty years that I can remember. I'm pretty sure I could convince half of Bellevue that I am clinically insane. That doesn't make it so. I used to be neat. Now I just beat back a little of the chaos, when I can.
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Permalink Reply by alona on
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I'm a psych major, not a therapist, so I won't try to present my opinion as anything more than just that:
to me, the key feature here is that you are aware that your daydreams aren't real. people experiencing hallucinations experience them as though they are real, there's no question as to that, although in both cases, you would be reacting to your daydream/hallucination. I don't want to pry into your personal life, but if you're willing to share, what else is the diagnosis based on? It is entirely possible that you may have both schizophrenia and MDD, and the symptoms are simply overlapping. what does your therapist say about MDD? you can't be diagnosed with it as it isn't a recognised disorder yet, but is it an avenue they're willing to explore?
you also say your daydreams are negative and you don't enjoy them, and I'm guessing, stress you out. MDD generally involves daydreams that allow escapism, and are more voluntary in nature. what happens when you have a daydream like the one you described? how do you respond to it?
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Permalink Reply by ELizabeth AG on
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I agree that if you are aware, it's not Schiz. Sounds like you also have Anxiety since some of your daydreams are about situations that deal with stuff that makes you crazy :)
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Também tenho desvaneios com acontecimentos negativos.
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Permalink Reply by Aprelle Neal on
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She said the daydreams are delusions of persecution.
alona said:I'm a psych major, not a therapist, so I won't try to present my opinion as anything more than just that:
to me, the key feature here is that you are aware that your daydreams aren't real. people experiencing hallucinations experience them as though they are real, there's no question as to that, although in both cases, you would be reacting to your daydream/hallucination. I don't want to pry into your personal life, but if you're willing to share, what else is the diagnosis based on? It is entirely possible that you may have both schizophrenia and MDD, and the symptoms are simply overlapping. what does your therapist say about MDD? you can't be diagnosed with it as it isn't a recognised disorder yet, but is it an avenue they're willing to explore?
you also say your daydreams are negative and you don't enjoy them, and I'm guessing, stress you out. MDD generally involves daydreams that allow escapism, and are more voluntary in nature. what happens when you have a daydream like the one you described? how do you respond to it?
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Oi, tudo bem? E' brasileira?
Erick silva said:Também tenho desvaneios com acontecimentos negativos.
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Thanks for the compliment. Sorry for the delay. I asked my psychiatrist for the basis of the diagnosis. She said it's because the daydreams are persecutory (i.e. Malcolm X bossing me around when he died before I was born) and are therefore delusions of persecution.
D Holden said:You sound like a lovely young woman. I an old skeptic. I would ask for the basis of such a diagnosis. Remember Lincoln's quote? Some of the people are crazy all the time, and all of the people are crazy some of the time? We all have some crazy. It comes with being human. I've been DD'ing for all of the sixty years that I can remember. I'm pretty sure I could convince half of Bellevue that I am clinically insane. That doesn't make it so. I used to be neat. Now I just beat back a little of the chaos, when I can.
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but you are able to distinguish between them and reality? since being unable to do so is a defining feature of delusions.
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Yes I know they're not real. For example, I know Malcolm X is dead and that I never met him. I know he's a figment.
alona said:but you are able to distinguish between them and reality? since being unable to do so is a defining feature of delusions.
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Dear Aprelle, Malcolm X was real for me. I never met him, but there was a duration in which we were both alive. If you could somehow have tagged the water molecules in his blood, and distribute them evenly over the whole earth, some of them would be flowing in our veins, yours and mine, right now. His death was a terrible tragedy.
Your imagination is the most powerful part of your body. When you are my age you will imagine how much better many of your decisions could have been. Think freely. Think boldly. But above all, think wisely.
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Permalink Reply by Valeria Franco on -
Hello Aprelle!
Have a look at this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-mwfFHdlSCg&list=PLYSgDhg8rdX2S...
It's Doctor Somer (the one who discovered MD) explaining very well the differences between Schizophrenia and MD.
I have 2 thoughts. First, you could show the video to your psychiatrist, maybe she/he'll understand.
Second, if Doctor Somer did a video on this topic, it must have happened before that someone could not tell schizophrenia from MD, so you shall not be the only one with this problem...
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Okay, thanks.
Valeria Franco said:Hello Aprelle!
Have a look at this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-mwfFHdlSCg&list=PLYSgDhg8rdX2S...
It's Doctor Somer (the one who discovered MD) explaining very well the differences between Schizophrenia and MD.
I have 2 thoughts. First, you could show the video to your psychiatrist, maybe she/he'll understand.
Second, if Doctor Somer did a video on this topic, it must have happened before that someone could not tell schizophrenia from MD, so you shall not be the only one with this problem...
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