top of page
Maladaptive Daydreaming Measures
On this page you can find validated measures tools about maladaptive daydreaming, which can be used by researchers, clinicians, and the public. Those tools includes: the MDS-16; the short form MD-SF-5 and MDS-5; The addictive daydreaming scale ADS; the daydreaming characteristics questionnaire DCQ; The SCIMD clinical interview for maladaptive daydreaming; maladaptive daydreaming tool for children C-MDS and the child maladaptive daydreaming checklist CMDC; and proposed diagnostic criteria for maladaptive daydreaming.
If you are a researcher or a clinician feel free to use the tools on this page free of charge. Our only expectation is that you show us similar courtesy by sharing your research report with us. If you wish to translate one of the scales into a language not represented below, please contact us for translation instructions.
Important notice: If you suspect that you might have maladaptive daydreaming please utilize the resources on this page for your personal use. We will not provide feedback on these scores and will not use them in research. The MDS-16 score provides an indication of suspected maladaptive daydreaming and should not be considered a diagnostic tool.
Maladaptive Daydreaming Measures
MDS-16MD-SF5MDS-5ADS - The Addictive Daydreaming ScaleDCQ - Daydreaming Characteristics QuestionnaireSCIMD - Clinical Interview for MDMD in ChildrenProposed diagnostic Criteria for MDDaydreaming Content Checklist
About MDS-16
The 16-item Maladaptive Daydreaming Scale
This 16-item scale is the primary MD measure rated on a 10-point Likert scale. Scores may range from 0 to 100. The MDS-16 total score is the average of its items. A mean score of 40 or higher indicates suspected clinical-level MD. In 2023 APA's PsychNet added the original MDS and the MDS-16 to its database.
Permission to use the MDS-16
The MDS-16 is an open access measure and is available for research and clinical use without charge. We request that any research paper and publication that will have used the MDS-16 be shared with us, regardless of the language of the manuscript, with the understanding that we might add it to our online repository of MD publications.
View and Download
The MDS-16 available in more than 40 languages.
Original: English
MDS-16 in other languages (order by A-Z):
Albanian | Arabic | Armenian | Bengali | Brazilian Portuguese | Bulgarian | Catalan | Chinese | Croatian | Danish | Dutch | Estonian | French | Georgian | German | Greek | Hebrew | Hindi | Hungarian | Indonesian | Italian | Japanese | Korean | Kinyarwanda | Kyrgyz | Lithuanian | Marathi | Mecedonian | Montenegrin | Norwegian | Persian | Polish | Portuguese | Romanian | Russian | Serbian | Slovak | Slovenian | Spanish | Swedish | Turkish | Ukrainian | Vietnamese |
Scoring of the MDS-16
The MDS-16 score is its mean (sum of the 16 items divided by 16).
Total score is ranged from 0 (min) to 100 (max).
For the English version, a score of 40 or higher is indicative of probable MD.
Ref: Soffer-Dudek, N. (2021). Corrigendum for The MDS-16 (English version) cutoff score.
MDS-16 References
Kaifa, A.F., Jatnika, R., & Wardhani, N. (2026). Adaptation and psychometric evaluation of the Indonesian Maladaptive Daydreaming Scale-16 (MDS-16-Ina). Acta Psychologica, 106139. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.actpsy.2025.106139
Soffer-Dudek, N. (2025). Corrigendum for “Maladaptive daydreaming: Proposed diagnostic criteria and their assessment with a structured clinical interview” concerning the cutoff of the Maladaptive Daydreaming Scale (MDS-16). Psychology of Consciousness: Theory, Research, and Practice. Advance online publication.https://doi.org/10.1037/cns0000433
Abu-Rayya, H. M., Somer, E., & Meari-Amir, S. (2019, February 4). The Psychometric Properties of the Arabic 16-Item Maladaptive Daydreaming Scale (MDS-16-AR) in a Multicountry Arab Sample.Psychology of Consciousness: Theory, Research, and Practice. Advance online publication. http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/cns0000183
Ahmadi, F., Goodarzi, M., Kazemi Rezai, S.A. & Yazdanimehr, R. (2023). Reliability, validity, and factor structure of the maladaptive daydreaming scale (MDS-16) in an Iranian sample. Journal of Clinical Psychology. DOI: 10.22075/JCP.2022.27056.2443
Balashevich, O.K., Harahukiua, A.I, Molotokas, A.A., Bayer, O.O, Kurapov, A.O. (2024). Adaptation and Psychometric Evaluation of the Maladaptive Daydreaming Scale (MDS-16) on a Ukrainian Sample: A Pilot Study. Perspectives and Innovations of Science ("Pedagogy" Series, "Psychology" Series, "Medicine" Series), 6(40), 609-629. (In Ukranian, English Abstract). https://doi.org/10.52058/2786-4952-2024-6(40)-609-629.
Balestra, R. (2019). Rêveries compulsives : Validation de la version francophone du Maladaptive Daydreaming Scale (MDS-F) (Maladaptive daydreaming: validation of the French version of the Maladaptive Daydreaming Scale (MDS-F). Master's thesis submitted to the Faculté des sciences sociales et politiques, Université de Lausanne, Suisse (in French).] English abstract.
Catelan, R.F.,Zsila, Á., Pietkiewicz, I.J., & Nardi, A.E. (2023). Cross-cultural adaptation and validation of the Brazilian Portuguese version of the Maladaptive Daydreaming Scale (BMDS-16). Psychiatria I Psychologia Kliniczna, 23 (3), 129–140.https://dx.doi.org/10.15557/PiPK.2023.0018.
Jopp, D. S., Dupuis, M., Somer, E., Hagani, N., & Herscu, O. (2018). Validation of the Hebrew Version of the Maladaptive Daydreaming Scale (MDS-H): Evidence for a Generalizable Measure of Pathological Daydreaming. Psychology of Consciousness: Theory, Research, and Practice. Advance online publication. http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/cns0000162
Metin, S., Gocmen, B., Metin, B. (2022). Turkish validity and reliability study of maladaptive daydreaming. Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, 12(1), 1-6. https://doi.org/10.5455/PBS.20210907111754
Pietkiewicz, I. J., Hełka, A., Barłóg, M., & Tomalski, R. (2023). Validity and reliability of the Polish Maladaptive Daydreaming Scale (PMDS-16) and its short form (PMDS-5). Clinical psychology & psychotherapy, 10.1002/cpp.2844. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1002/cpp.2844
Sándor, A., Münnich, Á., & Molnár, J. (2020). Psychometric properties of the Maladaptive Daydreaming Scale in a sample of Hungarian daydreaming-prone individuals, Journal of Behavioral Addictions JBA. Retrieved Oct 7, 2020, from https://akjournals.com/view/journals/2006/aop/article-10.1556-2006.2020.00050/article-10.1556-2006.2020.00050.xml
Schimmenti, A. Sideli, L. La Marca, L., Gori, A. & Terrone, G. (2019): Reliability, Validity, and Factor Structure of the Maladaptive Daydreaming Scale (MDS–16) in an Italian Sample, Journal of Personality Assessment. Published online: 23 Apr 2019. Doi: https://doi.org/10.1080/00223891.2019.1594240
Also: Schimmenti, A., Sideli, L., La Marca, L., Gori, A., & Terrone, G. (2020). Maladaptive Daydreaming Scale--Italian Version (MDS-16) [Database record]. APA PsycTests.
https://doi.org/10.1037/t78295-000
Soffer-Dudek, N., Somer, E., Abu-Rayya, H. M., Metin, B., & Schimmenti, A. (2020). Different cultures, similar daydream addiction? An examination of the cross-cultural measurement equivalence of the Maladaptive Daydreaming Scale, Journal of Behavioral Addictions JBA. Retrieved Nov 7, 2020, from https://akjournals.com/view/journals/2006/aop/article-10.1556-2006.2020.00080/article-10.1556-2006.2020.00080.xml.
Somer, E., Lehrfeld J., Jopp, D.S., & Bigelsen, J. (2016). Development and Validation of the Maladaptive Daydreaming Scale (MDS). Consciousness and Cognition, 39, 77-91. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.concog.2015.12.001
Somer, E., Soffer-Dudek, N., Ross, C. A., & Halpern, N. (2017). Maladaptive daydreaming: Proposed diagnostic criteria and their assessment with a structured clinical interview. Psychology of Consciousness: Theory, Research, and Practice, 4(2), 176-189. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/cns0000114
bottom of page