Maladaptive daydreaming: what you need to know

• Maladaptive daydreaming can involve creating detailed imaginary worlds and spending hours immersed in them.

• It can occur alongside ADHD, but it is not an officially recognised ADHD symptom. Similar attention difficulties may arise from different underlying processes.

• Fantasising can bring pleasure and relief, but can become problematic when a person struggles to stop and begins neglecting everyday responsibilities or relationships.

Introduction

The term maladaptive daydreaming is becoming more common online and in everyday conversations. Many people believe they recognise aspects of this experience in themselves. Some seek advice from a health professional, saying, “I think I have maladaptive daydreaming.” In 2002, psychologist Eli Somer introduced the term maladaptive daydreaming in his qualitative study. It is not currently recognised as a separate diagnosis in either the DSM-5-TR or the ICD-11. Daydreaming is a natural experience. In its maladaptive form, it can become difficult to regulate and significantly disrupt everyday life. With ADHD, attention may drift between different thoughts or external stimuli. In maladaptive daydreaming, a person becomes absorbed in their own imaginary storyline and may find it hard to disengage.

What is maladaptive daydreaming?

Maladaptive daydreaming is characterised by intense, difficult-to-control absorption in elaborate imagined worlds. Certain triggers or unpleasant emotions may set this process off almost automatically. Returning to everyday activities may take effort, and daily responsibilities may fall by the wayside. Some people daydream with their eyes closed, while others do so as they walk. At work, someone might become so absorbed in their thoughts that they barely notice what is happening around them. The experience is not tied to a particular setting, and these fantasies follow no fixed rules. People often create vast, richly detailed scenarios in which events continue to unfold. Almost anything can happen within them.

What is the connection with ADHD and inattention?

Maladaptive daydreaming is not included in the diagnostic criteria for ADHD and can occur independently of ADHD. Studies have identified it among people with ADHD as well. In these cases, attention difficulties may look alike, even when the processes behind them differ. Researchers have also explored whether the two experiences share features in how the brain works, but the mechanisms responsible for maladaptive daydreaming remain uncertain. From a psychological or psychotherapeutic perspective, maladaptive daydreaming is often understood as a form of avoidance. When someone finds their current circumstances deeply distressing, or certain triggers evoke painful feelings or memories, escaping into an imaginary world may offer comfort. Certain items in questionnaires assessing maladaptive daydreaming may overlap with difficulties commonly associated with ADHD. This overlap can help explain why people with ADHD sometimes score highly on these questionnaires, even when their experiences are different.

Read more: ADHD Symptoms

ADHD and maladaptive daydreaming: questionnaire limitations

• Difficulty switching attention: Questions such as “Do you find it hard to stop what you are doing?” can yield elevated scores among people with ADHD.

• Returning to fantasies: A strong urge to return to imaginary stories may provide a more distinctive clue.

• Limitations of questionnaires: Responses alone cannot confirm a diagnosis. The nature of the fantasies and their impact on daily life also matter.

How is it different from ordinary daydreaming?

Ordinary daydreaming is a natural experience. Compared with maladaptive daydreaming, ordinary daydreams are generally shorter and less likely to feel compulsive. They may be prompted by music, a particular sound or a certain environment. Some people may also experience a sense of detachment from their surroundings while deeply absorbed in a fantasy. This does not, however, mean that every episode involves dissociation. Maladaptive daydreaming is not simply a matter of fantasising frequently.

This table illustrates common differences rather than providing a diagnostic checklist. Not everyone experiences all these features.

Read more: Inattentive ADHD

How does it relate to hyperfocus?

Hyperfocus and maladaptive daydreaming can appear similar. Both may involve deep absorption, changes in time perception and difficulty shifting focus elsewhere.

The main distinction lies in what captures a person’s attention.

Hyperfocus typically involves sustained, intense attention on an interesting or meaningful activity. Someone might spend hours working on an engaging project and lose track of time.

Maladaptive daydreaming involves attention becoming absorbed in imagined events rather than in the activity at hand. These fantasies may feature their own characters and continuing storylines, which the person returns to repeatedly.

Hyperfocus is not always pleasant or productive, just as becoming absorbed in an imaginary world is not necessarily harmful. Current research does not establish maladaptive daydreaming as a form of hyperfocus.

Read more: ADHD and Executive Dysfunction

Why can it feel both comforting and disruptive?

Imagined storylines can offer enjoyment, relief or a temporary emotional refuge. After an exhausting day at work, someone might unwind by following an ongoing story in their mind. For others, anxiety, stress or distressing emotions can make fantasy a particularly appealing escape. There is nothing inherently wrong with this, provided the daydreaming remains manageable. Problems arise when time spent fantasising comes at the expense of relationships, interferes with work, affects performance or disrupts concentration. It can also make falling asleep harder. Over time, poor sleep may increase irritability and make routine demands even more challenging, creating a vicious cycle.

Read more: ADHD in Adults

What is the difference between limerence and maladaptive daydreaming?

Limerence is a concept associated with romantic obsession. It centres on powerful attraction and longing, sometimes compared to love addiction. Consider someone who repeatedly finds themselves wondering:

“Why haven’t they replied to my message?”

“Do they think about me too?”

“What would happen if we ended up together?”

These recurring thoughts do not, in themselves, indicate maladaptive daydreaming. The difference lies in the nature of the fantasies. With maladaptive daydreaming, a person may construct an elaborate imaginary world in which events continue to develop. Someone might fantasise about a colleague who does not even notice them in real life. In their imagined future, they live together, raise four children, run a business and grow old as a couple. The person regularly returns to this imagined life and creates new storylines. Limerence, by contrast, centres on longing for another person and uncertainty about whether those feelings are reciprocated. The two experiences can also occur together.

Not necessarily maladaptive daydreaming

• Hyperfocus: Intense concentration does not necessarily involve fantasising, even when someone loses track of time.

• Enjoyable daydreaming: Detailed imaginary scenes do not, by themselves, indicate a psychological disorder.

• Romantic preoccupation: Recurring thoughts about another person do not necessarily involve elaborate, ongoing imaginary stories.

What support and treatment options are available?

There is currently no universally accepted treatment protocol for maladaptive daydreaming. Psychotherapeutic approaches, practical coping strategies and self-help options may still be considered.

Understanding the role of fantasising. A person may, for instance, imagine a loving, accepting partner while lacking a close relationship in real life. It may be helpful to explore when and why an imaginary life becomes particularly appealing.

Managing the urge to daydream. This involves noticing which songs, sounds, environments or emotional states trigger fantasising. A person may try delaying the start of a fantasy or consciously returning to what they were doing.

Redirecting attention. One familiar technique is the 5–4–3–2–1 grounding exercise. It involves noticing five things you can see, four things you can touch, three things you can hear, two things you can smell and one thing you can taste. This may help shift attention away from imaginary events and back to the immediate surroundings.

Psychotherapy and individual support. Elements of therapeutic approaches such as Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT), Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) and Schema Therapy may be used. But the amount of evidence supporting each approach varies. Listing these methods does not mean they are all proven treatments for maladaptive daydreaming.

Co-occurring conditions and medication. There is currently no medication specifically approved to treat maladaptive daydreaming. Medication may be appropriate for another diagnosed condition, but this does not mean the daydreaming will necessarily stop.

When should you seek professional help?

People reporting more pronounced ADHD symptoms may also experience more frequent episodes of intense maladaptive daydreaming.

This may be associated with higher levels of anxiety, depressive symptoms and stress. Professional support is worth considering if repeated efforts to reduce the time spent fantasising have been unsuccessful. Another concerning sign is when a person’s imagined life begins to feel more important to them than their real life.

Letting go of an imagined life or possibility can be painful and may bring a sense of loss. A suitably qualified health professional can explore the difficulties associated with daydreaming, when they began, their possible causes, and whether ADHD or another psychological condition may also be present.

Maladaptive daydreaming alone does not provide grounds for an ADHD diagnosis.