Not The Villain of the Story

Chapter 18

CASSIDY'S- CASSANDRA'S POV:

W-what's happening? really?.. I don't understand.. Can someone help me? Please?

A little while, pumasok si mama sa kwarto- No, scratch that. Nasa hospital bed ako, I remembered nothing about going to a hospital. Umupo siya sa kama. She's looking at me with pity.

"Cassandra.."

"Ma? what's happening? Gamot? Last time I knew, Hindi ako umiinom ng gamot ah.."

"*Sigh, Things that's been happening is very... complicated to tell.."

???

Complicated? How complicated?

I suddenly have this urge to ask a question.

"Uhm.. ma? Have you remembered when I got into a car accident?..."

She looked at me for a moment before nodding.

"What happened after that?"

She was about to answer when someone came, A doctor?

I looked at my mama before looking at the man

"I see, she's already awake"

"Ma? care to explain? what's happening?"

They looked at each other before my mom nod, signaling the man to tell me something that I should know.

"Well, you see, The reason why you were taking a medicine, It's because you have a Maladaptive Daydreaming"

A what?

"It is Sometimes known as daydreaming disorder , maladaptive daydreaming describes a condition where a person regularly experiences daydreams that are intense and highly distracting   — so distracting, in fact, that the person may stop engaging with the task or people in front of them. These daydreams may be triggered by real-life events or stimuli, such as a noise, smell, conversation topic, or movie.

Maladaptive dreamers may dissociate from reality to absorb themselves completely in their daydream and may unknowingly act out the behavior or speak dialogue for the characters in their daydream. The content of the daydreams is richly detailed and fantastical. Some have been described as a soap opera, while others feature an idealized version of the daydreamer.

Maladaptive daydreaming may develop as a coping strategy in response to trauma.  The inner world may feel safer than the experience happening outside. For example, people with maladaptive daydreaming found themselves engaging in the behavior more frequently during the COVID-19 lockdown. They felt less able to control their urge to daydream, and the vividness of their daydreams intensified.

Maladaptive daydreaming was first defined in 2002 and is not yet recognized in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5). The prevalence of maladaptive daydreaming is unknown , but the condition appears to be more common among people with anxiety, depression, or obsessive-compulsive disorder. Over half of maladaptive daydreamers have a mental health disorder."

"What do you mean?.."

Does he mean that, everything wasn't real? Cassidy? Caspian? theo? eric? lucas? Nathalie? marie? my mom and dad?

"After you got into an accident, Your brain triggered something from your past memory, and because of that, it causes you to have a maladaptive daydreaming"

Causes something from my past?

"Maladaptive daydreaming can trigger past trauma, difficulty managing everyday challenges, and having another condition, such as ADHD" He added.

"I-is there a cure for that?" Mom.

"Although there is no cure for maladaptive daydreaming, some of the treatments and coping mechanisms discussed in this article may be helpful for some people, especially in terms of improving focus. However, The main treatment for maladaptive daydreaming is mental health therapy (psychotherapy). I suggest her to do that."

"U-uh... what part of her brain exactly?" Mom.

"Activation in this “default network” is observed across a number of key brain regions including structures in the prefrontal cortex, medial temporal lobes, and regions located deep inside the parietal cortex." Doctor.

My mom took a deep breath before looking at me.

.....