User:Blazoff/Maladaptive daydreaming

= Proposed changes to the article =

Online support
Whilst maladaptive daydreaming is not a recognized psychiatric disorder, it has spawned online support groups since Somer first reported the proposed disorder in 2002.

Research
Maladaptive daydreaming is currently studied by a consortium of researchers (The International Consortium for Maladaptive Daydreaming Research) from diverse countries including the USA, Poland, Switzerland, Israel and Italy.

Diagnosis
There are no official ways to diagnose maladaptive daydreaming in patients because it has not yet been recognized in any officially recognized diagnostic manual for psychiatry, such as the DSM-5. However, some methods have been developed in attempt to gauge the proposed mental disorder's prevalence.

Maladaptive Daydreaming Scale (MDS-16)
In 2015, a 14-item self-report measurement known as the Maladaptive Daydreaming Scale or MDS-16 was designed to identify abnormalities in the daydreaming of individuals that could prove harmful to their well-being. The purpose of designing this instrument was to provide a reliable and valid measurement of the existence of the proposed condition in participants and to garner attention to the potential existence of maladaptive daydreaming as a mental disorder. The instrument has since been used in the United States, Turkey, and the United Kingdom, and one study specifically investigated its effectiveness in an Italian sample. The measurement has not been utilized by many researchers and institutions outside of The International Consortium for Maladaptive Daydreaming Research.

Potential comorbidity
Maladaptive daydreaming has been identified to potentially have comorbidity with a number of already recognized mental disorders such as attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, anxiety disorder, major depressive disorder, and obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). In one case study, a patient believed to suffer from the condition was administered fluvoxamine, a medication typically used to treat those suffering from OCD. The patient found she was better able to control the frequency of her daydreaming episodes.

Maladaptive daydreaming in media
Over the last few years, maladaptive daydreaming has garnered attention from numerous news and media outlets including the Atlantic, the BBC, the British Psychological Society, and many more.