Hi Anon, 

Sorry for such a late response! My life has been so busy of late! Thanks so much for your patience :). 

In response to your question, daydreaming is actually a very common coping mechanism, so it is possible that your daydreaming is just that. On the other hand, the amount that you daydream and the fact that you have very specific characters in your daydreams, could point to something more. I don’t any specifics, so I can’t say anything for sure, but I do want to point out a distinction between maladaptive daydreaming (MD or MaDD) and something called “immersive daydreaming”. 

Immersive daydreamers have very similar characteristics to people with MD. One of the only (and biggest) differences is that their daydreaming isn’t maladaptive. That is, it isn’t harmful or negative to them in any way. People with MD find that their daydreaming affects their everyday life in negative ways. This might come across in difficulty socializing/no desire to socialize because of daydreams, not being able to focus on simple tasks because of daydreams, difficulty in school because of daydreams, etc. The biggest defining characteristic of MD is that it is maladaptive. It is negative and brings distress to the daydreamer. 

That being said, immersive daydreamers are very similar to MDers. Often times, these people read things about MD and they think they have it because they can relate in many different ways. Immersive daydreamers will often daydream for hours a day, have paras/fictional characters, pace when they daydream, and be very invested in their daydreams (etc.). However, this doesn’t mean they have MD. Rather, they just exhibit many similar characteristics to those with MD. 

If you are an immersive daydreamer, this might just mean that you exhibit a lot of similar characteristics but your daydreaming is manageable and doesn’t affect you negatively. You don’t find yourself distressed or anxious on a regular basis. because of it. From what I’m reading, it kind of sounds like this could be the case. But like I said, I can’t say anything for sure. I am no expert!

I would encourage you to do research and get info! The more you learn about MD, the better you can figure your situation. In addition to that, if you do find that you may be an immersive daydreamer and not an MDer, I’d like you to know that immersive daydreamers are welcome in the community as well!