What exactly is a "Meltdown"?

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I'd never encountered this expression before I came to this forum. What exactly is a "meltdown"? A bout of depression? A fit of irrational anger? A panic attack? Or is there something more? (I'm trying to find out if I've ever had meltdowns. I've experienced all of the aforementioned three states.) Also, did you have meltdowns when you were kids, or was it something that began when you grew older?

Hi Icheb

My definition of a meltdown in my AS son who's 14 is when he 'crosses a line' and goes from being a rational (if not rigid) thinker to someone completely irrational who cannot/will not accept anyone else's view or opinion.

With my son - the meltdowns occur when he has been really naughty and I punish him. They result in him becoming aggressive, threatening, anxious, violent (towards himself and others) and tearful. Oh - and it's the only time he can maintain eye contact.

Basically it's a full blown tantrum but worse. That's how I see it anyway - but I'm sure others have their own views/experiences on what a 'meltdown' is.

From what I've seen on this forum, it can be any of the above, depending on the person.

Mine are in the form of rigid thinking & rage attacks, but then anger is one emotion I've never had any problem expressing!

Others do not seem able to connect with their anger and so their meltdowns would presumably take one of the other forms. Depression & anxiety could be an alternative manifestation of anger when it is turned in on oneself instead of felt & expressed outwardly.

icheb,
have just posted this on another thread but meltdowns at it's very basic definition is a complete loss of control,an inner explosive agony,meltdowns are also fuelled by adrenaline-the bodies' 'fight or flight' chemical.
meltdowns are not manipulative,that type is classed as tantrum.
meltdowns are usually sudden,and happen when the body/mind cannot cope,this might happen when routine is changed,when too much speaking is going on...when anything the person finds extremely difficult to cope with overwhelms them.

some people who have meltdowns go to sleep after them and feel sick and tired all day.
others can get on with it once the body has calmed down.
some people have violent meltdowns against themselves or others,others have less physical meltdowns but still get the loss of control,and the adrenaline rush.

meltdowns-as a definition,are only really known by the autistic community,and those who work with the autistic community.

meltdowns for me are like internal hurricanes, I am the type that looks really normal and ok but deep down I am dying inside, thats why I self harm and get anxious in the past.

I have always been resentful of people who get attention by being noisy, and acting out (pre diagnosis) I hate noise, but I am learning that it is better to be noisy than to internally combust. does not come naturally for me, and drawing attention to myself makes me very anxious.
Chris

I didn't know the term "meltdown" until I discovered Asperger's. I'd had them but didn’t know they had a name. One of the freakiest I ever remember having was when I was 10. I don’t know what triggered it but it got started when I got hollered at by the old man for something. Probably smacked around some, too. Anyhow I started crying, for a while, then that abated and I started laughing. Not just pretending to laugh but hard uncontrollable laughing. Then I cried again. Then laughed. I’d have a few minutes of sincere inconsolable crying, then transition back to hard laughter, then back to crying. Over and over. I wasn’t in control of it either. Freaky as hell. My parents thought it was hilarious which was a good thing because otherwise the old man might have put me in the continuous cry mode. If you know what I mean. I don’t know whether to call that whole episode a meltdown by definition or not but it sure seems to fit the criteria as I understand it.
Other meltdowns for me have been triggered by a feeling of being overwhelmed with confusing details, having to make a decision that I’m not ready for all the sudden, too many people talking to me and/or asking me questions, not understand thing things that I know I should understand. These are a few things that trigger them. I tend to keep the outward appearance of a meltdown suppressed. Sometimes I feel like I’m going to explode from keeping things bottled up like that.

Yeah that sounds familiar. I got yelled at a lot by my mom, which actually wasn't so bad. But if my mom happened to catch me on a day where I was particularly stressed, it would be the last straw and I would freak out and go into all the symptoms you just mentioned. The meltdowns have changed since I've gotten older though.

The last one I remember was one minute I thought I was fine, and the next I was doubled over on the floor screaming my lungs out. I think I cried for about three hours before I stopped suddenly, and for some reason went to take a shower before I told my mom what had happened. I can't say for sure what really triggered the meltdown at that exact moment, but for me I'm pretty sure it's because I hold things in and I do act relatively cheerful amongest the few friends I have. It's only when I'm by myself (not around friends) that I started feeling all angsty and paranoid.

I've noticed that during my classes I've gotten really stressed as of late. It gets to points where the sound of my professor's voices, or the sight of a number/equation just makes me want to start crying. Once I come to my room though, life is all happy and cheerful...I know a meltdown will come eventually, I just REALLY hope it's not when I'm surrounded by strangers. That hasn't happened to me since elementary school.

Here's something I posted just a couple nights ago after my six-year-old son melted:

It's the rage thing that freaks me out. To him, something has gone very very wrong and he needs to scream and kick and try to hurt anyone who tries to help him, until after a while we can snuggle him for a while and settle him down. To everyone else, that same something wouldn't matter at all.
I should add that I think the stress from school has contributed to the meltdowns. The last two nights we had nasty, vicious meltdowns. Today we took a day off of school and he's having a great day.

I consider a meltdown where I cannot process anything further and lose my marbles. Result ranges from hitting myself to screaming to breaking stuff.

That sounds really accurate. My son also hits himself, bites himself, scratches himself. Last night he was even biting his leg.

In Tourette's material they call them rage attacks, though I hate that term because I'm not a violent person. During a meltdown I've taken some swipes at people, but I've never beaten anyone up or anything.

I had a meltdown tonight, though it was a mild one. Things were getting way too stressful, I couldn't process my feelings of guilt and fear over a situation I had absolutely no control over and then I just snapped. I screamed, I hit myself in the head a few times with the flat of my hand, and then I went through a period that I just didn't get anything. My parents were yelling at me to leave the room and get out of their sight, and I just started freezing up.

Usually meltdowns also include crying, often hysterically. I usually get really tired afterwards too. Even tonight, though it was a small one, I ended up dozing off for about an hour. Thankfully it wasn't as bad as it usually is, and I give part of the credit of that to my puppy Marty. Despite only being seven weeks old, he was very supportive and let me hold him and pet him until the over stimulated feeling began to bleed away.

One of the big dangers is to equate meltdown with tantrum. For kids, it's wrong for the adults to use those words interchangeably. Because kids having a meltdown will be punished as naughty. and vice versa, a kid having a tantrum may not be given boundaries or expectations because he's "incapable".

The common element to all meltdowns is the loss of rational thought or control. Some people shut down, like stop moving, looking, talking, etc. Some just explode, some cry, some yell or scream. A meltdown has several different triggers. physical, emotional, "my brain is full" trigger, startle reflex, for examples.

A tantrum is an intended explosion. Not always to manipulate the situation but there is some amount of choice to act out. It might not even be a conscious choice. Like a person who has limited language who is conditioned to tantrum to get what they want. Or a person who has emotional issues and needs attention or abandonment.

Quite right. We never punish our son for having a meltdown because we understand it's something he really doesn't have control over, though all of his screaming and crying definitely drive me higgledy-piggledy; it's a major effort to keep it together myself.

Thanks for all the answers! I guess what I've had were mini-meltdowns (just as tasty but only half the calories) where I would usually fly into a rage and start whacking away at some defenseless object.

Being Swiss, I can't help wondering whether the French word for "meltdown" is "fondue"...

My son does this - I find it really worrying especially since he doesn't seem to feel any pain when he's hurting himself. I suppose that may be something to do with the adrenalin that's kicked in. Once the meltdown is over and he's calm again, we discuss what's just happened, especially the self harming bit. He tells me that he doesn't remember hurting himself - I'm naturally suspicious of this, how can you not remember hurting yourself?

However, I tell him that I believe him and try to suggest other ways of venting his frustration if/when it happens again

Shopaholic said:

I agree with this 100%. I was never allowed to express anger as a kid, and even as an adult to a large degree. When I do let loose and direct my anger outwardly, justifiably and legitimately, I feel a sudden rush of well being. Unresolved issues apparently are the source of my anxiety and depression. When I resolve an issue, I am rewarded by well being. I must have a lot of issues. But maybe, little by little I can whittle them down to very few and have some peace and composure once and for all.