What is maladaptive daydreaming..?
Maladaptive daydreaming is a psychological condition, characterized by spending so much time daydreaming it interferes with daily life. It often differs in intensity and length between people, yet those with it can get lost in their imaginations for hours at a time. While it isn’t particularly hazardous to physical health it can be dangerous to mental health, and can severely impact life.

Causes..?
Researchers aren’t entirely sure what causes maladaptive daydreaming, though there are two main theories. The first is similar to other mental disorders, which is genetic or environmental causes. The second and more widely known theory is that maladaptive daydreaming is a coping mechanism for other disorders, a form of escapism. It has been proven to be associated in some way with other disorders like depression, anxiety, ADHD (attention-deficient/hyperactivity-disorder), OCD (obsessive-compulsive-disorder) and more.

Effects and symptoms..?
Maladaptive daydreaming affects the mind. It makes people disconnect as they daydream, and often get lost in vivid, complex dreams. The main effects of maladaptive daydreaming are:

• Being unproductive or seen as ‘lazy’
  

• Make enjoying hobbies harder
  

• Make relationships harder to start or maintain
  

• Feeling guilty or embarrassed
  

• Intense desire to keep daydreaming
  

• Avoidance of social situations
  

The main symptoms are similar to the effects, yet also can include:

• Obsessive movements that accompany daydreams (such as pacing)
  

• Unanormally long or elaborate daydreams
  

• Feeling disconnected from people during the episode
  

Solutions..?
Treatments and solutions for maladaptive daydreaming include therapy, certain medications for disorders that cause it, and identifying and avoiding triggers.

Specific to Eveninglily..?
For EveningLilyKit, I imagine her maladaptive daydreaming is caused by undiagnosed ADHD, which I have also provided research for. The stress of dealing with so many different signals most cats don’t get will cause her at a young age to not only look to plants, but also to fall into episodes of hour-long daydreams. These will mainly happen when exploring her mother’s garden, and eventually when relaxing in her own.
In everyday conversation she might drift off, even just for a few seconds, but will eventually learn to cover it up and keep the daydreams to herself.

Example of roleplaying maladaptive daydreaming (not a roleplay example, just how I would show this in roleplay)..?
EveningLilykit - 2 moons
The morning sky was as dark as the swirls and bursts of imaginative dreams inside EveningLily’s head. She was, once again, lost in thought staring off into space, having lost all ties to the waking world, even if it was just for a few minutes. Blinking her eyes she stood up from her position under the tall tree, and instantly blushed. It had happened again, hadn’t it? She had lost focus, at least this time it hadn’t been for hours. Sighing exasperatedly at herself she shook her head and started towards the nursery, hoping one of her siblings would help to clear her mind.

Sources..?
Cleveland clinic
.gov article
Attachment project
Health Harvard
Webmd








What is ADHD..?
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Causes..?
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Effects and symptoms..?
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Solutions..?
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Specific to Eveninglily..?
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Example of roleplaying ADHD (not a roleplay example, just how I would show this in roleplay)..?
EveningLilykit - x moons
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Sources..?
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