Self-Reported Medication and Recreational Drug Effectiveness in Maladaptive Daydreaming

Abstract

Maladaptive daydreaming is a proposed disorder characterized by excessive daydreaming that causes subjective distress and/or interferes with function. The daydreaming involves complex inner worlds, characters, and plots that are understood by the person as fantasy, and the daydreaming may occupy many hours per day. The disorder has good reliability and validity in studies using a structured interview and a self-report measure developed for it. To date, no information on the responses of maladaptive daydreamers to either recreational or prescription drugs has been available. The authors obtained survey data from 202 participants who completed the Maladaptive Daydreaming Scale-16. The results indicated that this population has tried many different recreational drugs and has been prescribed many different psychotropic medications. Most of the participants reported little to no effect of drugs or medications on daydreaming, although tentative recommendations can be made in favor of prescribing antidepressants and against the use of marijuana for individuals with maladaptive daydreaming.

Could immersive daydreaming underlie a deficit in attention? The prevalence and characteristics of maladaptive daydreaming in individuals with attention‐deficit/hyperactivity disorder

“…Importantly, the cross‐sectional design of this study prohibits the identification of causality in the relationship between the measured variables. However, our data add further evidence to the higher rate of concomitant psychopathology in persons with MD, as found in previous studies (Ross et al, 2019 ; Somer, Soffer‐Dudek, & Ross, 2017 ). Shared symptoms among various DSM‐5 (American Psychiatric Association, 2013 ) disorders have long troubled the mental health community (e.g., Preskorn & Baker, 2002 ).…”

“…Relatedly, in a recent study on the experienced outcome of prescription and recreational psychoactive drugs among 202 MDers (Ross et al, 2019), not only were stimulants reported to have next to no positive effect on participants' daydreaming patterns, but they were also reported to increase MD symptoms. This provides initial support for the idea that the essence of the problem in MD is probably not inattention, and is in line with MDers' reports that existing treatments do not address their main symptoms and are largely ineffective in improving the MD (Bigelsen et al, 2016).…”

“…Attention impairments among those individuals may stem from MD as a causing factor. Both MD and ADHD are characterized by a high level of comorbid psychopathology (Anastopoulos et al, 2018 ; Bigelsen et al, 2016 ; Ross et al, 2019 ; Somer, Soffer‐Dudek, Ross, & Halpern, 2017 ; Somer, Soffer‐Dudek, & Ross, 2017 ); however, in the absence of specific therapeutic protocols for MD, we assumed that the subset of ADHD participants who also suffer from MD will show higher levels of concomitant distress symptoms and less satisfaction with therapy due to poorer response to ADHD therapy interventions. Consequently, our study hypotheses were: (1) In a sample of adults diagnosed with ADHD, the prevalence rate of MD will be substantially lower than 77%.…”

Maladaptive Daydreaming, Dissociation, and the Dissociative Disorders

“…Other components are also key elements of the disorder including the ability for vivid internal visualization, the addictive and/or compulsive aspects of the disorder, and its behavioral avoidance functions. In general, the literature suggests that maladaptive daydreaming can provide avoidance from not just the effects of severe trauma, but from general stress, conflict, loneliness, and many forms of dysphoria (1–26).…”

“…Maladaptive daydreaming has been the subject of a series of previous studies (1–26). Somer and colleagues (12) found that maladaptive daydreaming is characterized by extensive daydreaming that occupies many hours per day, causes significant subjective distress and interferes with function, and is accompanied by extensive comorbidity (12).…”