Can anyone relate to this kind of distress?

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I don't think that I have depression. But every month or two, since I was a teenager I feel so uncontrollably distressed for a few days. It becomes so bad that I want to hurt myself and to run away from everything. But then after a few days it just passes. I'm not really sure what brings it on. Sometimes the usual things like too much change or pressure. Sometimes (like now) it is not so clear.

I told my psychologist that I was concerned about my safety. It was genuine. But because it seemed fairly out of the blue I think that she has decided it was just a cry for help/attention.

Tony Attwood mentions "suicide attacks" in his book. Does anyone else relate to this?

Does it track with your menstrual cycle? If it's been happening every month since you were a teenager...

Definitely worth considering. My daughter has huge emotional swings that coincide with her cycle.

Is it possible these are a form of meltdown? I go through periods where everything becomes overwhelming and I shut down. I can get very agitated during one of these episodes.

I believe it's normal for people to experience brief periods of depression once in a while. So yes, I can relate. If you have a history of anxiety that wouldn't be helping either. I'd only start worrying if these episodes were affecting your day to day life in a noticable way.

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http://defeatingthedoginthedaytime.blogspot.com/

The trials and tribulations of a girl pretending to be normal

yes - I'll be interested to hear if you have an responses from males too - but for me, it is linked to oestrogen cycling. I get "PMT" sort of thing, mid-cycle, rather than when most girls would. Mid-cycle would be when oestrogen is highest....but its not every month, after 15 years or so, I'm pretty aware of my body these days, and I realised I have two overlapping, two-monthly cycles - rather then simply monthly cycles. (As in RHS and LHS are operating independent, not exactly even cycles ). So it ends up as constructive and destructive interference patterns - or something like spring and neap tides - if that makes any sense? (It even results in anovulatory cycles about every 6 months) so sometimes it gets really bad for a while, then it goes a I have a few months that are fine.

There are other factors too, but I still think it all boils down to hormone cycling, things like being ill (colds etc), but also more subtle things like being away from hubby at the 'critical moment' in the cycle - or even hubby being ill at certain times in the month having a more profound affect on me than other times. It doesn't even need to be a husband, in the past when I've been single, certain other males could have an equal impact!

According to the docs, it isn't PMT as such, nor depression - particularly it isn't depression because I bounce back as if nothing was wrong within a couple of days - even though those bad days can be pretty bad. I'd describe it as just wanting to get into a big dark hole and stay there until I feel ok again. A 'stop the world I want to get off' feeling.
Temple Grandin described how oestrogen affected her - and since the AS dx, for me, it all fits into place.

I'm male.

I've not noticed the frequency of occurrence, and I can't say I've felt distress to that extreme, but I do get into "moods" every now and then where I'm really down and want to run away from my situation.

I have these bizarre and random, sudden swoops of deepest depression right out of the blue. Right from feeling just fine and normal, to within a half-hour I'm curled up in a closet, crying and trying not to overdose. And for no known reason.

Luckily this only lasts a few hours up to a day for me, not for several days like yours. I don't know what it means either, but I have been calling it "mood crashes". I have up to a half-hour from when I recognize a mood crash coming on to when it's in full-blast, so what I do is quickly prepare myself while I still have time.

Preparing myself involves informing anyone who's with me that I'm about to have a mood crash, which they seem to understand fairly well. I tell them it's not their fault but I'm going to be a mess for the next few hours and not to worry about it. Then I try to get as comfortable as possible, get myself a drink and snack, put on comfy pyjamas, curl up in bed and watch a favourite DVD. I avoid answering the phone or really doing anything at all. I treat it kinda like having the 'flu.

And then, it disappears just as suddenly as it came on, for no known reason. Mood crashes.

I didn't mean monthly in that way. Just that it happens frequently, but it is not my everyday existence.