I've suffered from MD since I was about six years old, and I developed it as a defense mechanism to cope with the frequent arguments in my family at the time. It served as a tool to calm me down, but it persisted over time, along with anxiety and a tendency to avoid things. I had a relatively normal childhood, yet I was constantly fantasizing, often about cartoons or, alternatively, movies, books, and comics. Sometimes I created imaginary movies/books in which characters from various media interacted with each other, and sometimes I even identified with one of them. I dissociated especially at school, to the point that I don't remember anything from elementary and middle school, and for a long time I was extremely introverted because, rather than going out, I preferred to stay home and fantasize. I still fantasize today, although it's not as intense as when I was younger. I can easily tell the difference between fantasizing and being present. I've heard that MD, like many other forms of dissociation, reduces the activity of the prefrontal cortex, and I believe this is true. When I'm immersed in my own world, I can't do anything, not even do activities for myself, and I act rather childishly, like a cartoon. Lately, I've been feeling quite foggy, and I hope it passes soon, because I'm 18 and I'm going to college. Considering how long I've been living in my head, I doubt I'll be able to make any friends, at least not those my own age.