Info Posts Return with.... Mental Health

[lickety_split]

MENTAL HEALTH SERIES : General Information/Discussion Post

Info posts may contain triggering elements, so please be mindful of the topic and read at your own discretion. Specific triggers and warnings are listed below, but if any additional warnings are needed please don't be shy about making the suggestion. Thanks!

SPECIFIC TRIGGER WARNINGS:

Comments

[starsinshapes]

Is being 25 and still having imaginary friends/having an imaginary life (even though you know it's not real) a sign of mental illness? Personally I see it as being an only child an not growing out of childhood fantasy that made life less lonely. A security blanket/coping mechanism if you will.

[lickety_split]

LMAO as a fellow mid-twenties only child I can attest that this is perfectly normal. I've totally got a Hannah Montana thing going on in my head.

[leprofessional]

I like the description of mental illness as something that disrupts/inhibits daily living patterns and interactions with others.

[cinematicxlie]

I'm 20 and I do the same thing. My dream world is like the ass-kicking parts in Sucker Punch but with more clothes on. I have a sister who's 17 years older, so I was raised like an only child.

However, my dad does the exact same thing and a) he just turned 60 and b) he was a middle child. My dad's just awesome like that though.

[dangerousdame]

Not unless it makes interactions with real people harder or otherwise negatively impact your daily life. It could suggest a certain degree of depression or social anxiety if imaginary friends are easier to deal with than the real world, but on it's own it's not necessarily a sign of anything.

[starsinshapes]

Oh, two things I do have.

[dangerousdame]

In that case, I'd say those are the root problems (as opposed to the imaginary friend itself.) I hope you're able to find help- I don't presume to know your history or what your personal problems are, but I can at least reassure you that what you've said so far is not out of the ordinary, especially among the lonely.

[not_emily]

This is totally me. I'm glad I'm not the only one that does this!

[caketime]

Idk, I do that, I'm a person who sometimes lives in denial. If you ask me, it's pretty normal though.

[liret]

From what I understand (and I'm not a professional but I do a lot of research on mental health issues as they relate to myself,) daydreams and fantasies are perfectly normal, even if they take the form of imaginary friends. If they keep you from being able to focus on the real world or seem more 'real' then your actual life it can be a problem - for example, it can be a symptom of disassociation, either by itself or as a coping mechanism covering another issue.

[sustainablefuel]

I think it's a normal part of growing up as an only child. I think I can relate as I sort of have an imaginary life thing going only mine is also a way I deal with gender identity and sexual preference issues that are ever revolving in my head.

[thenakedcat]

You are definitely not alone with the imaginary friends. I wouldn't have made it through high school without them and they're still an absolutely crucial safety valve. Maybe my underlying mental health issues make me rely on them more than a lot of shrinks would find comfortable but I'm not willing to give up people so close to my heart, imaginary or not.

[roseofjuly]

Does it count that I have very vivid daydreams about other lives had I done different things/future lives, including an ongoing storyline in which I am the Vice President of the United States?

On the real tip, the dissociation is relaxing. When I am feeling overly stressed about my current life, I lapse into an alternate one or a future one.

[chaya]

If you are aware at all times that your imaginary friends etc are not actually real, I would say you don't have a mental problem. Voluntarily engaging in a fantasy, as long as you are able to 'come back' without any problems and aren't so hooked that you're choosing the fantasy over life when it could be detrimental to you, sounds like a relatively healthy way to avoid stress.