A question regarding meltdowns

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Hi everyone,

At the moment I'm undiagnosed with ASD but have been referred for assessment. I was wondering this: is it possible for someone to only start experiencing 'meltdowns' as a teenager/adult? When I was a kid I know I had mild sensory problems and anxiety but I don't remember having any extreme reactions to things. However when I got to about 14/15 I started having emotional outburts both at home and at school (which resulted in me walking out a few times) and episodes which I guess could be described as stress/emotional overload where I became hysterical and lashed out at both myself and others. These got very severe when I lived with my somewhat psychologically abusive ex-boyfriend - pretty much every time we would have a row I'd be reduced to a rocking, hyperventilating, hysterically sobbing mess on the floor. Even after that when I lived on my own I'd have episodes of crying/screaming/smashing if I got too emotionally overwhelemed.

Anyway, the same thing happened today - a reaction to a combination of a few things that had upset me. It got me thinking, could this be in some way related to ASD? I guess the characteristics are similar to meltdowns but these episodes are always triggered by emotional rather than sensory overload. I am diagnosed BPD as well so I always assumed it was related to that, and it probably is, just wondered what all your thoughts were.

Thanks!

Sounds like me from 16 to... last year. When I was 24. Probably hormone-related. That plus Asperger's must result in this type of meltdown. Never had them in public but the ones I had in private were horrible.

It's possible. I remember I had my first shutdown when I was 12. The world just blurred and felt distant and I was walking slowly and couldn't hear people properly. I'm saying that because I did have the usual meltdowns as a kid. Actually I was very young and it always had to do with change.

I think when you are under a lot of stress is when these things begin to develop. I had such a protected childhood and when I started to go out in my early 20's was when the stress built up and I tried to hold it back but sometimes I couldn't. By 23 I had my first public meltdown (since childhood) though I think my first outburst was a year or two before that.

Oh yeah, first and only time I lashed out at someone was when I was 13. I was feeling angry already and my sister and her friends laughed at me. So, I jumped her.

Hey, aren't emotions also 'sensory'?

So that was a shutdown I have had a couple of times... thanks for the description.

I am suspected by some people to have an ASD and others say no, but interestingly enough my meltdowns followed the opposite pattern, really, really bad as a child from emotional overload to the point I was disruptive in school and I had a personal aide, put in special ed, etc..., to very occasional as an adult.

It might be called delayed puberty. On the other hand I did not start having shutdowns until about age 16 and did not really have my first meltdown until my early 30s if I remember right.

My problems interacting with people seemed to be spurred on by puberty but I'm not sure. I threw lots of "temper tantrums" as a little girl though. They just called me a drama queen.