May 06, 2022 09:00:00

Studies show that fantasy addiction may be an independent mental illness

It is quite normal to imagine fantasies such as 'a school is occupied by terrorists' and 'being chased by a ninja', but there are also people in the world who 'dedicate 50% of the time they are

awake ' to fantasies. To do. An Israeli research team has newly reported that fantasy addiction, which has been treated as a symptom of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), may actually be an independent mental disorder. ..

Could immersive daydreaming underlie a deficit in attention? The prevalence and characteristics of maladaptive daydreaming in individuals with attention-deficit / hyperactivity disorder --Theodor-Katz ---- Journal of Clinical Psychology --Wiley Online Library
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/jclp.23355

Study suggests maladaptive daydreaming should be classified as a unique mental disorder, distinct from ADHD
https://www.psypost.org/2022/04/study-suggests-maladaptive-daydreaming-should-be-classified-as-a-unique-mental-disorder-distinct-from-adhd-63025

'Maladaptive Daydreaming' Could Be a Distinct Psychiatric Disorder, Scientists Claim
https://www.sciencealert.com/psychologists-propose-maladaptive-daydreaming-as-a-unique-psychiatric-disorder

Fantasy is a universal act that most people do on a daily basis, but the situation of 'being indulged in fantasy and hindering our daily lives' is not universal. The name ' Maladaptive Daydreaming ' is given to the state of being indulged in fantasy so much that it interferes with daily life, but so far maladaptated fantasy is classified as a kind of mental disorder. Instead, it is treated as a kind of hyperconcentration shown by ADHD patients.

A new study by Nilit Sofa-Durek and colleagues

at Negev Ben-Gurion University in Israel states that 'maladaptative fantasy may be a separate mental disorder independent of ADHD.' The research team of Sofa-Durek and colleagues conducted a questionnaire survey of 98 subjects with ADHD collected online about their ADHD symptoms and maladaptation fantasies. As a result, 59 people were suspected of having maladaptation fantasies, so they were offered an offer to be interviewed separately. Forty-four people accepted the interview and 17 were formally determined to be maladapted fantasies.

Taking into account those who were not interviewed, the survey found that 'about 20-23% of subjects with ADHD fall into maladaptated fantasy.' On the other hand, the research team has found that '77% of people who fall into maladaptation fantasy have been diagnosed with ADHD', so the research team found that maladaptation fantasy and ADHD are related but separate. 'Maladaptation fantasy is not a kind of symptom of ADHD, but there is a separate mental disorder called maladaptation fantasy, and if it becomes maladaptation fantasy, it may meet the diagnostic criteria of ADHD.' I thought that.

Regarding the results of this study, Sofa-Durek said, 'If maladaptated fantasy is officially recognized as a mental disorder, it seems inappropriate that the person diagnosed with maladaptated fantasy is ADHD. Being maladapted fantasy leads to meeting the criteria for ADHD, but becoming ADHD does not lead to meeting the criteria for inappropriate fantasy. ' He said it could be separate.