Maladaptive Daydreaming & ADHD: Signs, Causes and How to Manage It

January 15, 2026

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If you read my previous article, ‘ADHD: Zoning Out vs Dissociation‘, you may remember my explanation of the neurochemistry involved in ADHD zoning out. In this article we will be exploring a massive part of zoning out, daydreaming, and how this can become a maladaptive behaviour for people with and without ADHD.

What Is Maladaptive Daydreaming?

Maladaptive daydreaming is a symptom of many mental health issues, from anxiety and depressive symptoms to dissociative conditions. Whilst it is common in these conditions, it is not a disorder in itself.

Everyone daydreams, however most people are in control of when they daydream and for how long. Maladaptive daydreaming is compulsive and may last for hours at a time, often with vivid stories and characters. It usually affects children, teens and young adults the most (although of course older people can also be affected). However, this type of daydreaming can also affect people with mental health issues and histories of trauma.

What Are the Signs of Maladaptive Daydreaming?

Some signs of maladaptive daydreaming include daydreaming that is all-consuming, vivid and may last for hours at a time. It is often a voluntary escape, creating a complex fantasy as a means of disconnecting from reality.

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This can affect socialisation and productivity, as one may choose to daydream over engaging in social interactions or work and personal commitments. There is often a feeling of guilt associated with maladaptive daydreaming, as the person daydreaming may understand it interferes with daily activity, however they can find it very difficult to break out of the habit.

What Are the Causes of Maladaptive Daydreaming?

Whilst the exact causes of maladaptive daydreaming are unknown, it can be thought of as a response to mental stressors. Trauma, anxiety, depression and other mental health issues can cause someone to wish to escape from reality.

When people are in emotional distress, it can seem appealing to escape into fantasy. Often people who experience maladaptive daydreaming consider the daydream to be safer and less stressful than real life. Over time, this can form the habit of chronic maladaptive daydreaming as a coping mechanism.

Why Are People with ADHD More Likely to Experience Maladaptive Daydreaming?

People with ADHD often experience symptoms similar to trauma, whether this is mental stress from coping with the symptoms of ADHD, or trauma related to external factors, or a mixture of all of these, is unclear. In fact, it is suggested that adults with ADHD are seven times more likely to experience PTSD, and many of the symptoms overlap, regardless of trauma.

When considering the causes of maladaptive daydreaming as an escape, it seems pertinent to mention the link between perceived threat as a trauma response and the desire to escape into daydreaming.

Alongside this, many people with ADHD experience ‘zoning out’, due to the neurochemistry of the ADHD mind. This can lead to more time spent daydreaming. Whilst maladaptive daydreaming and zoning out are not the same thing, they can overlap and become a cause for one another. If a person starts to daydream they may start zoning out and vice versa.

What Are the Differences Between ADHD and Maladaptive Daydreaming?

Maladaptive daydreaming isn’t a symptom that defines ADHD, equally you do not have to have ADHD to experience maladaptive daydreaming.

Often maladaptive daydreaming is brought on intentionally, however ADHD daydreaming is generally involuntary. A large portion of the difference is found in the intention. When someone without ADHD engages in maladaptive daydreaming there is often a cause and effect. For example, an external stressor causes an individual to actively want to retreat into fantasy and dissociate from their external environment. However, someone with ADHD slips into daydreaming due to complex neurochemical reactions and misfires.

How Can You Manage Maladaptive Daydreaming?

There are many methods and techniques one can implement to help manage maladaptive daydreaming. These include:

Mindfulness

One of the keys to managing maladaptive daydreaming is to improve focus and the ability to be present in the moment. This is where mindfulness is useful. By increasing awareness of the body one can more effectively focus. This can be achieved through breathing exercises, meditation and yoga. All of these practices improve the chemicals in the brain that control focus, as well as helping one become more aware of bodily sensations.

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Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT)

CBT functions as a way for someone, with guidance from a licensed professional, to identify and become more consciously aware of potentially unhelpful thought patterns. By increasing this awareness, one can come to understand the root cause of maladaptive daydreaming and with a therapist work through these to help curb its impact on one’s life.

Conclusion

Maladaptive daydreaming does not mean you are ‘lazy’, ‘incompetent’ or ‘scatterbrained’. It means you are experiencing a defence mechanism or chemical imbalance that you are certainly able to work through. By equipping yourself with knowledge of how your brain works and the causes of why your brain works this way, you can navigate any mental struggle you may experience. Including maladaptive daydreaming.

If you think you may have traits of ADHD, take our free ADHD test to see if your experiences align with common ADHD characteristics.