Maladaptive daydreaming as a new form of behavioral addiction

Background and aims: Maladaptive daydreaming (MD) has many features of behavioral addiction, but research exploring this syndrome is limited. This case study provides a qualitative exploration of MD. Methods: A structured clinical interview and mental state examination of a patient with MD were video-recorded and transcribed verbatim. Transcripts were subjected to the interpretative phenomenological analysis. Results: MD was developed as a strategy to cope with distress but led to uncontrollable absorption in fantasy, social withdrawal, and neglecting aspects of everyday life. It was coupled with excessive Internet use and viewing porn. Discussion and conclusions: Patients should be questioned about MD during clinical assessment. Further studies are necessary to determine whether MD constitutes a separate syndrome or is a part of other behavioral addictions.