We have been silent for quite a while, but we are back with an update about developments in the field. Several new publications are noteworthy. The first two were published in India, the third in Pakistan, and the fourth by our colleagues from Poland.
Publications
Mishra, B. & Kewalramani, S. (2023). Social Media Use Maladaptive Daydreaming and Imposter Phenomenon in Younger Adults. Journal of Advance Research in Science and Social Science, 6(1). https://doi.org/10.46523/jarssc.06.01.20 This study found a positive correlation between social media use and maladaptive daydreaming. Additionally, a positive association was found between social media use and the imposter phenomenon, suggesting that individuals involved in excessive use of social media also develop a feeling of self-doubt.
Roneena, A.J. & Anandarani, V.S. (2022). Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT) for Maladaptive Daydreaming: A Case Report. International Research Journal of Education and Technology, 4(10). This open-access paper described mindfulness-based cognitive therapy with a 19-year-old woman with MD. The intervention led to the patient reporting significant improvements in her academic and social functioning. Refrainment from internalizing distressing simulations of probable happenings as representations of reality helped break the cycle of chronic avoidance and control her yearnings to daydream.
Shafiq, S., Zafar H., & Khalid, N. (2023). Development and validation of dysfunctional daydreaming scale. Journal of Postgraduate Medical Institute, 37(1): 21-26. http://doi.org/10.54079/jpmi.37.1.3087. The DDS is a reliable and valid psychometric test developed locally to evaluate maladaptive thought patterns that may be a risk factor for developing psychiatric disorders.
Igor J. Pietkiewicz, I.J., Hełka, A.M., Barłóg, M., & Tomalski, R. (2023). Maladaptive daydreaming and narcissism, Personality and Individual Differences, 212. ScienceDirect 112279. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.paid.2023.112279. This study found that the level of MD was significantly higher among individuals with elevated narcissistic personality disorder scores compared with mixed-clinical and non-clinical groups. Over 2/3 of narcissistic personality disorder patients had scores indicating MD compared to a third from the mixed-clinical and less than a quarter from non-clinical groups. Vulnerable narcissism was the strongest predictor of MD.
Physicians Postgraduate Press, Inc., is a medical publisher and the owner of Psychiatrist.com and publisher of The Journal of Clinical Psychiatry. They recently published a case report titled: 'Beguiling Daydreams: A Case of Maladaptive Daydreaming'.
The ICMDR is always delighted to support and encourage student work on MD. Below is information on a poster presentation published in conference proceedings in Portugal and a thesis submitted to a British university. Kudos to the future generation of MD research.
Conference Proceeding
Mansuklal, S.A., Pascoal, P.M., & Anderson, G. (2023). Sonhar Acordado Mal-adaptativo em estudantes universitários? RCT piloto da intervenção iCBT "DaydreamCatcher" (Maladaptive Daydreaming in College Students: A Pilot RCT of the iCBT "DaydreamCatcher". In H. Pereira, G. Esgaslhado & P. Silva, Segundas Conferências Internacionais em Psicologia Clínica e da Saúde da Universidade da Beira Interior – A Importância da Psicologia Clínica e da Saúde no Mundo Atual: Desafois e Contributos, P.27, Covilhā, Portugal.
Thesis
Cosereanu, L.D. (2023). Maladaptive Daydreaming: Fantasy of the Mind or Condition of the Brain? Research submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of BA (Hons) Working with Children, Young People, and Families. Leeds Trinity University.
The Media
The media continues to show interest and curiosity about MD, and the topic was covered extensively on various English, German, Turkish, Yiddish, Spanish, and Indonesian websites.
PsyPost is an online news and information platform focusing on the intersection of psychology, neuroscience, and related fields. It recently featured the study by Ginassi et al. (2023) in a report titled: New psychology study suggests shame plays a crucial role in the link between narcissism and maladaptive daydreaming. For their YouTube report, click here. (pdf).
Her Campus is an online magazine founded in 2009 by Harvard University students. It targets the female college student demographic. Content in the magazine is written by more than 7,000 contributors from more than 400 campus chapters in nine countries. One of their recent articles is titled: ''An Escape from Reality: What is Maladaptive Daydreaming?
''The Room – Psy'' is an interactive research and discussion page about everything psychology, health, and well-being predominantly, ''The Room – Psy'Psy' shares research into psychopathology concerning analytical, scientific, and philosophical debates regarding the causes, characteristics, and treatments of various mental disorders to eliminate stigma, educate, and increase societal awareness to make for a more harmonious and accepting future. Google Alerts recently reported their 2021 story,: ''Lost in Wonderland: Maladaptive Daydreaming''.
The Colin McEnroe Show, NPR - Connecticut Public Radio: Lost in my mind: What happens when we daydream (from 1.06 min.) Do you daydream? What do you daydream about? This episode of the show is all about daydreaming. The guests reflected on the value of daydreaming and why it can be so challenging to talk about our daydreams. They also discussed what daydreaming does to our brains and the pathological form of immersive daydreaming: maladaptive daydreaming. Guests: Leslie Jamison: Novelist, essayist, and professor at Columbia University'sUniversity's MFA Program; Jonathan Schooler: Distinguished Professor of Psychological and Brain Sciences and Director of The Center for Mindfulness and Human Potential at the University of California, Santa Barbara; Jayne Rachel: An advocate for maladaptive daydreaming, who used to experience it.
Kumparan: Pengertian Gangguan Mental Maladaptive Daydreaming dan Pertanda Mengalaminya (definitions and symptoms of maladaptive daydreaming). Kumparan.com is a news and media website based in Indonesia. It was launched in 2017 and covers various topics, including politics, business, sports, technology, entertainment, and lifestyle.
Benafshi is the only psychology periodical published in the Yiddish language. It caters mainly to the ultra-orthodox Jewish community. The magazine recently featured a lengthy report on MD.
WDR 1, the German public radio station, recently aired a story on MD that was also published on their website.: So verbessern Tagträume dein Leben (This is how daydreaming improves your life). (pdf).
Stuttgarter Nachrichten: Die kreative Magie des Nichtstuns (The creative magic of doing nothing). Stuttgarter Nachrichten is a daily regional newspaper based in Stuttgart, Germany. It covers news and events from Baden-Württemberg and national and international news. The newspaper features sections on politics, business, sports, culture, and local events. It is known for its in-depth reporting, investigative journalism, and analysis of current issues. The Stuttgarter Nachrichten has a long history, with the first edition being published in 1945. Today, the newspaper is available in print and digital formats and has a significant readership in the region.
The Spanish Yahoo!: Yahoo! ¿Sueñas despierta como si fuera real? Puede que sufras ensoñación desadaptativa (y que sea adictiva). (in Spanish). Do you daydream like it's real? You may suffer from maladaptive daydreaming (and it may be addictive).
Eres Mamá is a Spanish-language website that provides mothers with information and resources. The website covers pregnancy, childbirth, breastfeeding, parenting, and health. It also features articles, videos, forums, and a community of mothers who can share their experiences and advice. It has about 1.8 million monthly visitors. In March, the magazine published a story titled: “Ensoñación excesiva en niños: ¿qué es y cuáles son sus riesgos?” (Excessive daydreaming in children: what are they and its risks?).
We'll be back with more exciting news about maladaptive daydreaming.
Stay tuned.