this post was submitted on 28 Aug 2025
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Mental Health

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Hello breathing Humans! Hope ur day is going great!
As a title says, last 2 months I’ve been aware of something I have which I didn’t realise for 1+ years, I’ve been daydreaming since some parental restrictions on my life (not being able to use the internet , going outside, talking to strangers,etc) as a way to cope with my life problems. I have no idea what other types of mental disorders I have and I won’t self-diagnose myself on it. So back to the question. I daydream for like half of my day. Especially when I’m done using my phone or get bored, it interferes with my life so deeply I literally wake up, and daydream until I realise I should go back to my room. Sometimes I don’t realise I’m walking around the house and daydreaming until I snap back to reality, even my sister accuses me of “talking to ghosts “ or someone else they don’t see, is this normal or do I need to check myself for a doctor? Or a professional? Speaking of these 2, my family sometimes threatens me to take me to a doctor for not being able to speak properly, help and advice is appreciated, this is my first time here so I apologise if I did something a lil off or wrong,

(And last thing I live in Saudi Arabia, noticed this rule so I typed it here, again sorry)

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[–] TootSweet@lemmy.world 6 points 1 day ago (2 children)

I'd say you should look into the term "maladaptive daydreaming". (Not a diagnosis. More of a symptom.) There's nothing wrong with daydreaming itself. It's when it causes problems in your life that it's "maladaptive." Just reading what you said about it, you said you daydream "as a way to cope with... life problems" and "it interferes with my life so deeply".

This also kindof sounds like daydreaming may be a way by which you dissociate. If you look up "dissociation" on the internet, you'll likely see things about DPDR wherein everything feels ureal or other more severe-sounding symptoms. Of course, if those things sound like they describe your experience, that's an insight that might help you. But escaping into a fantasy to deal with problems in your life can definitely qualify as a form of dissociation.

Aside from that, I don't want to diagnose you or anything, but it might be worth looking into Schizoid Personality Disorder (SzPD). That would be a diagnosis, not just a symptom. But if you end up reading the Wikipedia page on it and it feels like your experience, and if you end up talking to a therapist, it probably couldn't hurt to bring it up. If you think it matches you, that is. If your therapist agrees, they may have you evaluated for that condition specifically. It's not a disorder that psychologists tend to know enough about to think to bring it up to you. And people with SzPD can often times be misdiagnosed ad something else. Which is why I bring it up. Again, though, I'm only suggesting that you look at the Wikipedia page and see if it feels familiar. Nothing more.

Finally, just on the basis that you seem to be struggling with this, I do think that if your able, you could definitely get some benefit from a therapist.

[–] Halifox507@piefed.social 2 points 1 day ago

I looked into the wiki page, and it does , specifically the part of environment factors, thanks for helping me man, appreciated it, I’m gonna do more research on it

[–] Halifox507@piefed.social 4 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago) (2 children)

Appreciated the help, I’ve seen the term “dissociation “ earlier today, and I also know about maladaptive daydream disorder as I said 2 months ago. a friend of mine sent a picture about the key difference between these 2, and I can assure you I relate to both or experienced it. Note that despite my family threatening me to take me to a doctor to see if “I am insane” , they actually won’t pay a penny for it, or for a therapist. They just rudely and negatively threatens me for a purpose of probably to make me afraid or just to make me mad cuz they know I get angry very fast, otherwise they will never do anything about me or my mental health, forgot to add, I don’t have access to professionals or doctors unfortunately So I can’t get diagnosed or even checked up

It is not helpful to think in terms of insane, but I get that this is language your family uses. More useful is thinking in what way you're coping or suffering. How you manage to go through your day. Only you can judge that. Daydreaming is a wonderful expression of imagination until it becomes so excessive that it is destructive to your life. The other poster suggested to look into schizoid pd: while this is useful to know about, the takeaway should be that one would favour daydreaming above anything else. Sacrifice all social relationships to spend time internally. This isn't about imagination or creativity anymore but a way to safeguard oneself from the outside, from other people to step too close or challenges encountered in life, etc. From your description i doubt that this fits, but again only you know yourself well enough to judge that. When talking about dissociation / derealisition / depersonalisation, there's usually a component of trauma to it. One mightn't be aware of what it is (whatever brought it about might seem normal), or one might suffer in other ways whereas one's peers just seem not to (common experiences with neurodivergent folks who are not aware of it). All this just to say to learn about yourself is essential, to foster self awareness and all that, which is challenging when you're young and have no access to therapy. In lieu of that you could confide a good friend or someone i your family who you trust.

[–] Eq0@literature.cafe 2 points 1 day ago

From what you say, it seems you spend most of your day at home with a family that does not support you but often attacks you. Be it true or your point of view, being stuck in such an environment is not great for your mental health. Before jumping to diagnoses, it is worth considering if what you experience is a reaction to your environment. To do this, I would encourage you to find sources of comfort:

  • physical activities that make you feel fulfilled (knitting? Clay sculpture? Baking? Coding? Anything, really)

  • social activities that allow you to connect with others (volunteering? Animal shelters? Old people home? A course of some type? Church related activities?)

I also want to point out: social interaction is something we learn how to do. That’s why kids are odd and teenagers are weird: they are still mastering the social skills necessary for a “normal” interaction. If you are not exposed to any social interactions other than the confrontational ones with your family, you will not refine your social skills, and social settings will remain stressful. It’s normal to be a bit weird :)

About finding social activities, think about something that is positively viewed in your society (that’s why I proposed a lot of volunteering) such that your parents will have a harder time stopping you from going. Think about what your parents are more likely to support. It doesn’t matter where you start, the important is starting!

I understand your doubts about online connections, but remember that in person there are snakes too, don’t open up too quickly. You are particularly vulnerable, so be a bit guarded at the beginning and don’t share critical information about yourself.