Shut Down or Melt Down

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Shut Down or Melt Down?
Shut Down 62%  62%  [ 99 ]
Melt Down 16%  16%  [ 25 ]
Both equally 22%  22%  [ 35 ]
Total votes : 159

izzeme
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22 Sep 2015, 5:01 am

I will deliberately shut down to prevent meltdowns.
I have had a few meltdowns; they are scary and i don't want to experience another one if i can help it.
Last time i had a meltdown i choked a good friend of mine (i stopped before anything serious happened, i did get control back), that was the moment where i decided to train myself to supress and stop meltdowns, whatever the (mental) costs might be.



C2V
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31 May 2016, 4:22 am

Shutdown, nonverbal. :oops:


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Quiet Water
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19 Aug 2016, 6:10 pm

Melted down as a child, was often punished for it.

Learned to shut down instead (I'm not normally nonverbal but speech can be difficult during shutdown); this is also poorly understood by surrounding NTs but most seem to consider it less threatening.



slw1990
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21 Aug 2016, 12:11 am

izzeme wrote:
I will deliberately shut down to prevent meltdowns.


I'm like this too when I'm in public. It's still bad because I have trouble processing things and I get really clumsy. When I have them at home though sometimes I cry on and off for hours.



PuzzlePieces1
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22 Aug 2016, 11:33 pm

Wow, so many of the responses on here could have been written by me. Like almost everyone else, I shutdown instead of melting down, but I used to meltdown all the time (especially when I was younger.) Seven years ago, I was prescribed a medication that quiets my emotions and I very, very rarely have meltdowns these days as a result. I also became much more successful in pretty much every aspect of my life because of that medication.



Leahcar
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28 Nov 2016, 3:01 pm

Interesting to see that quite a lot of you guys have shutdowns. I've never had one in my life, and I didn't actually know what they were until I first joined.
I used to have meltdowns all the time when I was younger, but not so much now. Though, I'd be lying if I said I never have them anymore. Every once in a while if stuff doesn't go right, then I can break down, get very teary and snappy, and start doubting myself.


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blackicmenace
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06 Dec 2016, 2:40 am

Melt down here, but to be perfectly honest it's more like explode. (Mostly at inanimate objects) My dad is the same way.


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caThar4G
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03 Jan 2017, 7:32 pm

Kiriae wrote:
I usually just shut down. I am even able to change a upcoming meltdown to a shutdown if I hold it for long enough.

Btw. My meltdowns and shutdowns seem to have different triggers.

I get a meltdown when I get emotionally unstable. For example when something unfair happens or I'm being humiliated. I get an urge to yell, cry and hit stuffs then due to feeling so vulnerable and helpless. But I learned to hold it till I get alone or it fades by itself.

Shutdown usually is result of physical exhaustion. It often happens after sensory overload or a meltdown. I get silent and stop receiving the information from senses. I close my eyes, I sit down, curl up or play with my stim toy to get rid of any unpleasant touch sensations, cover my ears and ignore the sounds that come to me and "turn off" my thoughts. It's a state similar to a nap but I have no control over it at all. I am only able to control my ability to speak to a degree and I can say stuff like "Yes", "No", "I don't know", "I'm tired", "Just leave me alone".

I am the same way! Except I don't have a stim toy. I never heard of that till on WP.



caThar4G
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03 Jan 2017, 7:35 pm

^^^ Except I have more trouble w meltdowns and controlling them.



ASPartOfMe
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13 Jan 2017, 6:27 pm

Shutdown


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Skilpadde
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27 Feb 2017, 6:10 pm

Shutdown


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Violet85
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28 Jul 2017, 12:40 pm

I've shut down and zoned out for as long as I can remember. But sometimes I am screaming internally



StephenBeets679895
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09 May 2018, 7:25 pm

Depending on the exact situation and my overall trending mood, I'll either withdraw or I'll explode into rage. If I'm enraged, it becomes very difficult for me to calm down. I may go on for hours or days about whatever triggered me in the first place and then I drop off into the void of depression where I'll shut down. Being single and unattached does not make this easier to deal with.