Meltdowns are always due to sensory issues?

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Right or wrong ?

"Always" - likely not.
"In most cases" - likely.

For me, they seem to always be due to stress. That stress could be sensory, but often times it's too many requests/expectations/questions on top of the stress from sensory input. I might be able to deal with a screaming baby, but if you add in a spouse asking me questions about why the baby is screaming, what I plan to do to fix it, etc, that is usually the tipping point.

Or if I haven't had a chance to be alone and quiet all day and when I finally think I have some time someone tells me about ANOTHER responsibility I have to do...that can be the catalyst as well.

So does that count as sensory?

Stimuli leading to meltdowns are not necessarily sensory, but all forms of it.
Not only external but also internal. Not only physically but also emotional and mental overwhelm.

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Wrong. They can be caused by sensory issues and by other issues as well. I have plenty of meltdowns from conversations with people

No. Mine can be from:

- sensory
- frustration
- emotional flashbacks
- bullying or poor treatment
- executive dysfunction / disorganisation
- exhaustion and fatigue
- impatience
- verbal demands (I'm selective mute)
- fear and anxiety
- lack of control in a situation
- change in routine
- insecurity
- confusion
- agoraphobia
- alexithymia (not knowing how I feel)

Just to name a few ...

Basically, any time demand exceeds capacity.

Mine also seem to be due to an accumulation of stress, which can be because of sensory issues or not. Frustration from communication issues or other things, strong emotions, being yelled at, having too many things to do at once and/or not knowing how to address a task, not having enough time to myself, and probably a bunch of other things I'm not coming up with right now can all lead to meltdowns or shutdowns, in addition to sensory issues.

I have only had meltdowns from violations in my established routines. I have sometimes had mild shutdown from sensory issues, but not frequently. I am much more tolerant of sounds and lights as I get older.

My meltdowns have been only from extreme emotional stress for as far back as I can remember. I should ask my family if I had sensory meltdowns when very young. As a teenager, I remember having sensory problems when in noisy, crowded places. I would feel anxious and wanted to get out of the situation as soon as possible. Is that more of a shutdown, since the result was I wasn't functional while in the situation?

Ive always heard that meltdowns are caused by stressful situations. That's the norm. And that's what the above posters all confirm.

Thanks all of you for your informative replies . I asked the question based on remarks by a person on a mental health forum I go on . He said

One thing I used to do when things got too much was to drink as much booze as I could , as quickly as I could, to crash out .

Here's this one video that I did a while ago on my autistic YouTube channel "Aspie With Attitude".



This video content may not answer the question about meltdowns are due to sensory issues.

What I have mentioned in the video about this sad story when I once shared my home with my sister back in 2013 with some of unemployed friends, I had an experience I had meltdown triggers when I was in a very small kitchen. Each and every time I did have my kitchen clean and tidy, it drew in a crowd of deadbeat hippies who wanted to live on top of me and due to my anger issues at the time, I wasn't entitled that kind of space since I had problems doing my own cooking with their messes left behind.