ADHD (ADD) or just MD? Anyone with both or with only MD?

Question

Hello,

I know that I am a maladaptive daydreamer but I'm not sure about the ADHD which I'm currently being tested for. I've been reading more about it and newer opinions on MD seem to be that it's a separate condition, similar to SCT/CDS. There are even some articles that suspect that some MDer are falsely diagnosed with inattentive ADHD (and some of those people have said that stimulant medication has made their MD worse). Other theories include that ADHD can cause MD (as 80% of MDers have ADHD which is high for a comorbidity).

How do you guys who have both or only have maladaptive daydreaming (and know they dont have adhd) experience MD? How are you able to differentiate which causes what behavior?

What I've noticed is that my MD is triggered by music, reading, movies, planning etc, I don't consciously decide to start daydreaming. But I've been daydreaming for all of my life so not sure if that's just "learned"/automatized behavior.

I am also able to focus, for example in exams and with enough outside pressure, which might be a contradiction with ADHD. I also don't feel that "chaotic" on the inside, don't forget that much and am not very impulsive (more the opposite, I have troubles making decisions). Symptoms for a potential ADHD (and not MD) include severe procrastination, an urge to interrupt people, inability to listen to people explaining things (because of distracting thoughts, not daydreams), tendency to talk/write too much, forgetting what I'm talking about while talking.

Also, I don't think my MD is that bad, in the periods of my life in which life was better I naturally started daydreaming less. It does affect my life because it makes me less motivated to fix my real life but it is also a fun leisure activity.

Posted Oct 7, 2025, 2:40 AM UTC

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