Adult ADHD
Visual Abstract
The Comorbidity of Daydreaming Disorder (Maladaptive Daydreaming)
Maladaptive Daydreaming and Mental Health
Eli Somer , Nirit Soffer-Dudek, Colin A Ross
Summarized by:
June 18, 2023
study source
J Nerv Ment Dis
Jul 2017
🔎
What they studied
How often do those with maladaptive daydreaming, or harmful daydreaming, experience other psychiatric disorders?
💡
What they found
73% of those with maladaptive daydreaming met the criteria for 3 other psychiatric disorders, most commonly ADHD.
👩⚕️
What this means
Those with maladaptive daydreaming often struggle with mental health and distress. It is a separate but closely linked condition to ADHD.
The Comorbidity of Daydreaming Disorder (Maladaptive Daydreaming)
Objectives
While it is entirely normal to daydream, some people can daydream so much that it gets in the way of everyday life. Some experts have proposed a condition called maladaptive daydreaming that covers individuals who daydream to a point where it causes dysfunction and distress.
“
Maladaptive daydreaming (MD) is an excessive and vivid fantasy activity that interferes with individual's normal functioning and can result in severe distress. Research has shown that MD is a clinical condition associated with a number of personal, interpersonal and behavioral problems.
This study wanted to understand more about maladaptive daydreaming, particularly whether those with maladaptive daydreaming also have other conditions.
ADHD has often been associated with maladaptive daydreaming. The study specifically analyzed how closely linked ADHD was to maladaptive daydreaming.
Study Quote
To determine the comorbidity profile of individuals meeting criteria for a proposed new disorder
Methods
Researchers conducted a structured interview with 39 individuals who appeared to meet the criteria for maladaptive daydreaming. This interview was designed to estimate how many of them potentially had other mental health disorders.
Study Quote
Daydreaming disorder (more commonly known as maladaptive daydreaming [MD]), the Structured Clinical Interview for Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition (DSM-5) and the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV Dissociative Disorders were administered to 39 p...
Show More
Results
A small study on maladaptive daydreaming found that ADHD and anxiety disorders were most closely linked with maladaptive daydreaming.
Most of those with maladaptive daydreaming also had at least three other psychiatric disorders.
The most common disorder found was ADHD, followed closely by anxiety disorders.
These data suggest that maladaptive daydreaming can indicate poor mental health. Over 28% of those who met the criteria for maladaptive daydreaming reported a suicide attempt.
Study Quote
We determined high rates of comorbidity: 74.4% met criteria for more than three additional disorders, and 41.1% met criteria for more than four. The most frequent comorbid disorder was attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (76.9%); 71.8% met criteria for an anxiety disorder, 66.7% for...
Show More
Conclusions
These results provide evidence that, in some cases, daydreaming can be a sign of something harmful. The individuals in the study who had met the criteria for maladaptive daydreaming had experienced mental health issues, distress, and even suicide attempts.
This study is consistent with previous studies that have linked maladaptive daydreaming to ADHD. But, as shown in other studies as well, it appears to be a separate condition in many cases.
Study Quote
This finding provides evidence that MD is different than normal daydreaming and that these individuals experience considerable distress and impairment.