How Often Do You Have Meltdowns or Shutdowns?

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CheshireCat1
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25 Jun 2011, 1:22 pm

Are they common? How many times a week would you say? What triggers your meltdowns or shutdowns?



Last edited by CheshireCat1 on 25 Jun 2011, 1:56 pm, edited 2 times in total.

ScientistOfSound
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25 Jun 2011, 1:28 pm

I rarely have them now, however I used to have them all the time. These days I don't get them as much.



littlelily613
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25 Jun 2011, 1:42 pm

I used to get them at least once a day...sometimes two or three times a day. Now that I am older they only come anywhere from once every couple of days to once every couple of weeks.



kezzieb
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25 Jun 2011, 1:51 pm

I don't have meltdowns very often, I tend to notice the coming on and manage to remove myself from the situation. Like at work today I was getting very stressed out because we had loads of customers and it was very noisy and hot etc. So I had a word with someone I work with and was able to swap with the guy who was doing food prep in the back room which is cooler and there are no customers.
I've only had three major meltdowns that I can remember, both times were at school and two out of three of them I ended up in a physical fight.
I seem to have more shutdowns than meltdowns though.



Asterisp
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25 Jun 2011, 1:53 pm

Three times a year. But there were times it was like once every fortnight.



stilldays
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25 Jun 2011, 2:03 pm

Lately due to stress it's been daily. I'm so drained I can't do anything.



CockneyRebel
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25 Jun 2011, 4:06 pm

I have them once or twice a month. Sometimes I have them once every two months.


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25 Jun 2011, 4:13 pm

Currently it's maybe two-four meltdowns/shutdowns per year.

My meltdowns were a their worst from ages 10-13 when I had at least one meltdown per hour, in adult life they were very rare up until now where they're more common and more of a fear due to stress and the all together hopeless situation that is long-term unemployment.

Triggers for me - feeling trapped - if I'm in a situation where I don't know my options, if I'm free to say no or refuse to do something, if I don't know if I can object, if I feel I'm being pressured into doing something, or if I can't see an escape route.


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25 Jun 2011, 6:13 pm

I have at least one shutdown a week. Often, two or three. I'm actually heading for one right now.

I have fewer meltdowns, and they're not as intense as they used to be, but I tend to hit that mental state 2-3 times/month. Usually it transitions from meltdown to shutdown rather than hit an actual meltdown. I am also better at noticing it happening. Which is what happened starting last night and continued into today (no need for details).

Causes are primarily sensory overload and secondarily emotional overload. If I'm out for a few hours, I may shutdown on the way home or once I get home. If there's a lot of noise, if I go outside for any length of time without sunglasses that will contribute (but that hasn't directly caused a shutdown yet). Playing many video games can trigger a shutdown if I keep at it too long. A couple of times, watching a lot of television (more than four hours straight - getting stuck on tv shows on DVD or Netflix instant) triggered it. It's easier for that to happen without subtitles than it is with, but watching too much television without subtitles erodes my concentration and makes me tired, so there's that too.



The_Walrus
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25 Jun 2011, 6:32 pm

At bad times, every day, maybe twice.

In good times, once a month tops.

Triggers are stress, change, and guilt. Especially change. It doesn't have to have been recent change, just reflecting on change.



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25 Jun 2011, 7:02 pm

About once a week, maybe more. It depends how often I am under stress so if I stay at home then I might be ok. Then again, people would want me to go out more which results in more meltdowns and shutdowns. My last meltdown and shutdown was three days ago.
Every time I have sensory overload I'll have a shutdown. The meltdown may come before if it's the type of sensory overload that makes my head spin.


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ocdgirl123
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25 Jun 2011, 7:03 pm

I never have shutdowns.

I do have meltdowns though, maybe 1-3 major ones a week. I am sure other people would say more though, because they count even the minor ones.

Anxiety triggers my meltdowns and people judging me (really or perceived), being stared at, sudden bad changes in routine and seeing or thinking about this girl that I really, really, really strongly dislike at school.



alexi
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25 Jun 2011, 7:27 pm

I get into times where I am constantly in or on the edge of a shutdown. At the moment I have commitments and tasks that involve change and breaking routines and I am constantly stressed out by it. So at times like this I shutdown every day and wake up already shutdown most days.

Generally though I shutdown about 4 times a week, usually as I am getting to the end of work.

Meltdowns about once a fortnight, and are generally just before I go to bed if I have stayed up late.

I've been working hard lately to try to catch myself before I go into shutdown/meltdown. I am not very good at identifying when I am becoming distressed, but my partner is quite good at noticing the signs. Things like my arms starting to flap. Apparently I start to walk awkwardly on my tiptoes. And one that I had never noticed before was that I start to yell at something- eg. I was recently trying to clean a wall and it wouldn't get clean. I started to tell the wall what I thought of it. About 5 minutes later I had a massive meltdown. We were painting 2 rooms and all our stuff was moved and I felt like I couldn't get away from all the upheaval and the feeling that the task was so ENORMOUS. The next day exactly the same thing happened just before I meltdown.

Now I'm trying to notice this warning sign more. I've caught it happening once since then and was able to remove myself from the stressor.



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25 Jun 2011, 7:37 pm

Usually once every 5 days, I usually bottle it up though, even when I don't want to!


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25 Jun 2011, 10:26 pm

I rarely have the epic, Tazmanian devil esque meltdowns I had as a kid. As an adult I mostly have "shutdowns" from being overwhelmed and if I can't get away from the overwhelming stimli, I will faint. I wonder if I have some form of eppilepsy or heart condition but I will never know because I've lost pretty much all trust in doctors who love to blame everything on the autism and refuse to look for an actual physical problem.


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25 Jun 2011, 10:35 pm

If I am totally reclusive, I tend not to have meltdowns as most of my meltdowns seem to be caused my interractions with others, leading to an overload of emotion/confusion and all of that.
Shutdowns I get in busy/noisy/over stimulating environments and they can happen at anytime, worse if I am overtired.