Maladaptive daydreaming

It is a proposed diagnosis of a disordered form of dissociative absorption, associated with excessive fantasy that is not recognized by any major medical or psychological criteria.

Maladaptive daydreaming can result in distress, can replace human interaction and may interfere with normal functioning such as social life or work.

[3] Somer's definition of the proposed condition is "extensive fantasy activity that replaces human interaction and/or interferes with academic, interpersonal, or vocational functioning.

][4] Some individuals reportedly possess the ability to daydream so vividly that they experience a sense of presence in the imagined environment.

The main proposed symptom is extremely vivid fantasies with "story-like features", such as the daydream's characters, plots and settings.

Individuals with the condition sometimes share traits with other behavioral addictions such as gambling or video games and may use their daydreams as a means to escape reality.

Although maladaptive daydreaming has not been officially recognized as a mental disorder, it has garnered attention from numerous news and media outlets starting in 2020.

[24][25][26] Reality shifting is a trend that appears to be a form of excessive daydreaming, which emerged as an internet phenomenon on TikTok around 2020.