Aspie Meltdown?

Post Reply New Topic

My melt downs consist of pacing around the house feeling agitated for 4 to 9 hours then sleeping for 25 hours in a row I don’t know how prevalent it is but if some melt down in a an obvious way and some don’t then its under noticed

I don’t talk to anyone in mine I’m too angry to remember words

I have meltdowns and they usually result in self destructive behavior. I take meds and they help me to calm down. Also, I have become more aware of when I am having meltdowns so that I can take measures to not "lose it."

I used to have meltdowns when I was younger but not any more and my meltdowns involved me throwing things or braking things or being violent. Sometimes I would have less severe meltdowns and I would break down and cry.
The reason why I had these meltdowns was because I was frustrated and did not know how to express myself by talking.

Might be a stupid question, but what counts as a meltdown? The other week I might've had one. I had too much on my mind and it just wouldn't stop and then something happened which made me really upset. First I started sobbing but then I became really angry instead. Sat with my head in my hands rocking back and forth and then I went up, paced, looked for my baseball bat. Couldn't find it so I took a cushion from the sofa and hit the other cushions and the sofa really hard for a couple of minutes, in pure anger. Does that sound like a meltdown?

I think I have shutdowns too. More often. Then I just sit there in silence and space out.

thats preety much one

I have meltdowns but usually away from people. If I have them around people I am not really able to control what I say, and I can't filter anything out. Usually it's nothing more than "leave me alone" or "get away from me," often with swearing involved. The frustrating thing is that they get kicked off because someone decides they have to interact with me and the interactions cause stress (let's say these interactions are emotionally abusive for full accuracy), and I just want to get away from the person in question.

I play a lot of video games, and I get a lot of sensory overload from video games, and that combined with frustration as my ability to play degrades in inverse proportion to how bad the overload is, has caused meltdowns. Not like "throwing the controller in frustration" but as in losing control and not being able to filter my actions. I've managed to cut those down a lot because I am more aware of how overloaded I can get, and what it means when I'm unable to process what I'm looking at.

Another thing that causes meltdownish reactions with me is unexpected change. This can be something as simple as "We're going to the store." And the change could be "We're taking a fifth person, which means the car will be crowded." In that situation I simply choose not to go, because the alternative can actually be painful.

Another sudden change in plans was when I was told that we would move my stuff from one storage unit to a smaller storage unit, and then at the last minute - four days before it had to be done - I was told that there would be no second storage unit and if I couldn't find room for my stuff... but then they decided to let me store my stuff here. After prompting a meltdown.

When I meltdown, usually what happens if I am able, is I go off by myself and have emotional overload until I shut down. If I can't get away from people I'm mostly telling them to leave me alone.

I've been observing a lot of this over the past few months, and reassessing past experiences, which leads me to conclude I experience more meltdowns than I thought. I've also been in a nearly constant state of emotional overload over the past two weeks due to the aforementioned emotionally abusive person and the way the not-autistic people in this house rallied behind her and told me I had to change and accommodate her mental illness, while no one has to accommodate mine.

On occasion I've gotten really frustrated and angry and couldn't stop crying, and then had to do the usual sleep hard for hours, only to wake up and realize the reason for the meltdown is that I'm physically ill. I don't know why I can't seem to recognize when I'm coming down with a cold, or a stomach bug?

Yes, and although meltdowns are emotive &/or sensory in nature, other 'physical' factors can sometimes trigger a meltdown. For me, it can be hard to know that I'm physically unwell. I can inadvertently push myself too hard, not realising I'm ill until after-the-fact.

rebbieh, it's not a stupid question. The term 'meltdown' and 'shutdown' really aren't well defined and I'd challenge any medical doctor, who always botch the term, to define it. But we all know what we mean, and it is unique to the spectrum, in so far as I know. Us Aspies too suffer from meltdowns

Do neurotypicals have meltdowns as well? Like the one I had (which I wrote about in an earlier entry). I'm in the process of finding out if I've got AS (really think I do), so I'm trying to gather as much information as possible. Quite obsessed with it to be honest.

EDIT: hence all the questions.

That's it exactly. And the meltdown seems to exacerbate the severity of the illness.

I'll try to answer. Meltdowns (and shutdowns) are behavioural phenomenon conventionally confined to autistic spectrum individuals. Importantly, the colloquial term "meltdown" does not define an autistic meltdown. Tony Attwood explains that those of us on the spectrum have a cup capacity of emotions whereas neurotypicals comparatively have a bucket capacity. Certainly, I feel. But I do know that my emotions are not as complex as my neurotypical counterparts. Also, I can have difficulty expressing my emotion(s) and seem to not have need to share what I 'feel' with another. Neurotypicals tend to reach outward when they are struggling with an uncomfortable emotional state whereas I often retreat inward for solace or to work out an emotive issue.

I have a good example. On one instance, I became lost in a city that was new to me - I did not have a map and there was no way I could have known. Now, a neurotypical probably would have asked for directions or wandered about until they found a landmark or a similar tactic. For me, I started crying. I had drawn myself a quasi-map on paper and cried so hard that my tears blurred the ink. Like a small lost child, I cried. I almost could not speak. I aimlessly wandered off until an older couple found me, asking what was the matter. I tried to show them my (wet) map and only could say, "I'm lost." They were kind and drove me to my flat, which was less than 5 minutes away! Do you see the difference? My capacity was overflowing. Similarly, if someone hurts my feelings, like being callous or unfair with me, I oftentimes need to excuse myself, go somewhere private, and cry. Anyway, after I was lost and returned to my flat, curled up on my bed, rocking myself, crying and moaning until I finally fell asleep from exhaustion.

Notably, I can have sensory meltdowns too where my senses just hurt. As if there's a saturation point and beyond that, well, I simply meltdown. Prior to or at meltdown, my senses are skewed where everything positively hurts. There is anecdotal evidence that a meltdown may be a form of a mild seizure, which may partly explain the phenomenon.

I have a neurotypical female friend who characterises meltdown well. She says when she's hurt, for whatever reason, like she has a bad day or argues with somebody, she'll let herself feel the emotion, later 'talking it all out' with her husband over dinner, then she might (quote) lay on the couch to watch a chick flick and eat a box of chocolate bon bons. Now, conversely, for me, her Aspie friend, I probably would cry uncontrollably, even scream, rock myself or kick the floor. Then ultimately curl up and fall asleep. Her point: Is her way, the supposedly "adult" neurotypical way, really quantatively any better or different than my way? And she's right. It simply is that Aspies just don't cope in the way any given neurotypical does with emotive stress. This is a manifestation of our "cup capcity" of emotion.

Personally, I think meltdowns ought to be accepted. I am an intelligent rational adult and I promise that my wrong planet friends are some of the most insightful and caring people I've ever known - I mean this with great sincerity. Aspies can have perspective where another cannot. The fact that our emotive capcity does not match a neurotypical is not a fault but instead a neurological feature of being on the spectrum.

Consider a 4 year old child. It is known and accepted that a 4 year does have the emotional capacity of a young adult. We'd never punish a 4 year old who has just scraped his/her knee on the pavement and dropping their ice cream for crying - it's normal and we'd comfort that child. But if it's an adult, it would be considered inappropriate. Now, I'm not implying that Aspies are immature - often the contrary! But we each have triggers and when we are overwhelmed, the emotional avalanche of meltdown occurs. We need to make the distinction between a 'naughty child' who is having a tantrum, like he/she wants a toy (or something) and is told no; bratty kids just want attention and this is starkly different from a meltdown. A child (or adult!) on the spectrum is instead experiencing conflicting sensory emotions that are unexpressable.

If someone (i.e. medical practitioner) ever tells you that you should 'learn to take control of your emotions' or 'grow up' or similar, then they are dead wrong. And ignorant of the definition of a meltdown. That's like telling an epileptic they ought to learn to control themselves better. Never let someone punish you in this way.

As far as treatment for a meltdown? Well, it will resolve itself soon enough! In fact, I'm often recovered soon afterward. But there are ways to soothe yourself. I have a weighted blanket - indispensable for me. Some like to listen to repetitive soothing sounds, like a metronome. Be in a quiet/private place where you feel safe. And, maybe most of all, give yourself permission to recover at your own pace. Sometimes I'll take a hot shower and just go to bed. You might ask your GP, if necessary, for a mild sedative to take only just-in-case. Listen to music or watch TV. It can be a good idea to carry a medical ID card in your wallet if you're meltdown-ish in public, for obvious reasons. Meltdowns can and will be mistaken for something else.

Hope I answered alright! Actually, I think all who've already posted answered by sharing their experiences.