It is considered maladaptive because it can interfere with a person’s social life, work, and mental health, becoming compulsive and excessive. Maladaptive Daydreaming is a way for a person to dissociate from the reality of their day to day life. There is some thought that Maladaptive Daydreaming can be a coping or safety-seeking behavior for people with OCD, ADHD, and trauma and anxiety disorders. The phrase was coined in 2002 by Eli Somer, an Israeli Professor of Clinical Psychology at the University of Haifa. There is a need for more peer reviewed research on this topic, but it is starting to become well known in the world of psychology and mental health. Maladaptive Daydreaming is not a recognized mental health disorder at this time. In some cases, it is a way to escape the anxiety caused by obsessions in OCD. This use of their imagination can be an unrestricted way to escape fear.

Maladaptive Daydreaming (MD) is when a person makes a conscious decision to retreat into a world of fantasy or a narrative daydream. What is maladaptive daydreaming? Sometimes people who struggle with OCD will also struggle with something called Maladaptive Daydreaming.

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