International Research Journal of Education and Technology

Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT) could be an effectual approach to the treatment of maladaptive daydreaming, an unrecognized clinical syndrome that encompasses an unhealthy use of fantasy. Hereunder we report on the case of a 19-year-old South Asian girl with a disorganized attachment style who adopted Maladaptive daydreaming as a coping mechanism. The patient sought fantastical proximity with a famous personality to compensate for the lack of an inclination to pursue a healthy romantic relationship in real life. Deteriorating relationships with friends and family, social anxiety, and cascades of unimpressive academic performances prompted the patient to browse for answers on the internet. She discovered the 16-item Maladaptive Daydreaming scale (MDS-16) on which she scored above the cut-off score. Subsequent psychotherapy sessions wherein she was subjected to MBCT led to the patient reporting significant improvements in her academic and social functioning. Refrainment from internalizing distressing simulations of probable happenings as representations of reality helped break the cycle of habitual avoidance and control her yearnings to daydream. We report this case to raise awareness for the treatment of a disorder that shows semblances of behavioral addiction and risks being misdiagnosed or even undetected in some clinical contexts.

Keywords: Maladaptive daydreaming, disorganized attachment style, mindfulness-based cognitive therapy