Meltdowns or shutdown? Difference?

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What is the difference between meltdowns and shutdowns?
A few times, in noisy environments (large, busy supermarkets or marketplaces), I have felt things and people coming at me and noises blending in equal strength. I fled the place i mild panic. Would that be a small meltdown?
When seeking job in kindergartens and schools with lots of activity and speedy, loud kids, suddenly everything goes more or less gray, and I don´t react to things happening. Would that be a shutdown?
It might be anxiety because of my own bad experiences at places like that, - but what is what?
Could anyone explain?

I rarely melt down, it takes a major major issue,, then im throwing stuff and emotionally out of control. I tend to shut down,lose contact with my surroundings,, like im in a fog or something,,the difference for me is im fully alert durning a meltdown,, just emotionally out of control but in shutdown im in control but out out of touch,,
I suspect as a very young child i was beaten for meltdowns but left alone when i would shut down so i developed that instead of meltdowns as the defensive mechanism,, I didnt even have what one would call a meltdown today until i was much much older and more in touch with myself..

For me, shutdowns are characterised by periods of lethargy, depression and tiredness. They don't usually have any specific causes or 'triggers'.

Meltdowns on the other hand are caused by very specific stress triggers and are characterised by self destructive behaviour and the loss of rational thought processes.

What they have in common though is a loss of functionality.

an example of a meltdown for me.

when i was about 20, i needed a small carton of milk to add to the coffee that i was going to drink with my friend, so i had to drive to the local service station with my friend to purchase some. i rounded up all the 5 cent coins i could find that equaled the price of a small carton of milk.

it was late at night,

i retrieved a small carton of milk that cost $1.00 from the refrigerator and i handed the cashier 20x5 cent pieces.

the cashier told me that he would not accept 5 cent pieces, but i knew that 5 cent pieces were legal tender. he none the less refused to let me buy the 300 ml carton of milk and i told him that he was wrong in refusing my money and i also told him that i thought that he was unable to count 20x 5 cent pieces because of his mental incompetence and he flew into a rage. i pegged the 20x 5 cent pieces hard at his head and i ran back to my car and i did multiple donuts as i skidded out of his service station.

my friend laughed but i was enraged and i wanted to go back and amplify the situation.

In my experience meltdowns come in two forms. Explosion or shut down. Either I'll fly into a rage or I'll go into a dark room and curl into a ball for a long time.

Then there's anxiety attacks. Those too came in two forms. Either I'll be in a panic running around like a chicken with its head cut off, so to speak. Or I'll fold my arms and rock back and forth with my eyes closed for a long time.

OK, I can se, that I´ve had both of them.

OK, I can se, that I´ve had both of them.