What does meltdown mean?

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I have been trying to figure out what a meltdown is, but i am still confused. Please describe what a meltdown is, what happens during a meltdown, what a meltdown feels like, etc. please be as descriptive as possible. any info regarding meltdowns is appreciated.

thank you for your help.

The Squid is intrigued. Has the Marsh never experienced one? For the Squid, A meltdown occurs when stress builds up, this can be accompanied by anger, and carries various effects. Sometimes, it can make one feel ill. Other times, one can get depressed. Just go home and curl into a squid-ball and sleep it out. Classically however, a meltdown is more like an explosion, and one takes out their anger and stresses, typically on another person. Aspergers organisms have low stress boiling points, which is typically why they work fewer hours, and prefer not to leave their domicile to search for social activity.

I am trying to figure out if I have ever had one. That is the reason I asked.
thanks for the info though.

This is an interesting question. But seeing as you're a family member of an Aspie I could see why you would like some description. Which I don't mind giving, or answering any further questions; mine can get pretty intense.
So, I consider my more milder "meltdowns" anxiety attacks. Whether it's due to a social situation or high stress levels, I will usually feel very very warm, especially in my face and ears. I feel like I can't breathe, and want to hide somewhere safe. Sometimes I even have stomach problems.
Now, my more intense ones I have experienced since I was little. I get super upset, often over really small stuff, and even if it may be triggered by someone else I always end up internalizing it somehow. I cry of course, and for some reason this is really hard for a lot of people to understand or handle. I can't help crying though, and it literally hurts if I try not to. When I was little I would proceed to pull my hair or bite my tongue. As an adult, I will often feel sick and want to throw up, but since I can't I will make myself throw up. Since I naturally have long nails it's really easy to scratch myself, usually my face. Sometimes, I will hit myself.
This stuff may sound pathetic, but I honestly feel like I can't control it usually. For instance, one time I remember very clearly, I was arguing with my mother (probably about something silly), and I said something that really hurt her feelings. I immediately felt very bad and started screaming for her to forgive me, crying, and hitting myself. It was almost as though I was outside of myself looking at the situation though, and I couldn't control what was going on even though I wanted to.
Thankfully I haven't had one of the intense meltdowns in months. It is very exhausting when I do though.

I want to clear up some confusion by saying that I am on the spectrum (aspergers to be specific). I only recently realized it and didn't think to change my diagnosis status on my profile. I was dating an aspie a few months ago and that is what brought me here originally.

Thank you for your description it is very helpful.

I tend to have what could be characterized as anxiety attacks, sometimes it is more like depression. It can last for 2 or 3 hours sometimes and occurs frequently. at times it is so bad I can't even move. Could this be a meltdown?

Please keep them coming. I want as many different perspectives and experiences as possible.

I'm kind of in the same boat. I'm 40 and recently suspected I have Asperger's. Since I'm a teacher, I have not sought out an official diagnosis. I've heard people describe meltdowns in other forums on this site. I don't think I've had a major one in about 20 years. Instead of meltdown, I shut down. Instead of exploding, I implode. Because of this, I'm a terrible procrastinator. When I feel overwhelmed (which is quite often), I can't seem to be able to get any work done. The more I have to do, the more I shut down and the less actually gets done. I can usually fake it through the workday, but I collapse when I get home.

I have two variations: one I call meltdowns, the other I call breakdowns.

For me a breakdown means actually physically needing to break something, like a fit of anger, except I am seeing myself from a third person point of view and have almost no control-- like I'm a video game and someone else is at the controls. These generally occur from a long term build up of life frustrations and are pretty rare, like maybe once every 3 years or so. I keep dowel rods handy to snap in two if necessary, better that than something expensive or irreplaceable.

A meltdown generally occurs when I'm forced into a social situation with a lot of new people and I can't process all the information. I go completely mute and motionless and I have no internal thoughts. I stare off into space but I hear and see everything the people around me are saying/doing. I can physically follow directions if given them, but I can't communicate back physically or verbally at all. Time also seems distorted, it seems to move exceptionally slow and then exceptionally fast. I can avoid meltdowns by avoiding situations that include a large group of unfamiliar people.

Meltdown for me is about being overwhelmed to my senses and if I need to interact for any reason I will repeat movements, get mute and iced. If the stress gets too high, I can punch walls or do similar stuff because the physical pain is easier to handle and allows me to get a grip. The world becomes obscene. It's mere existence and the knowledge I will have to eventually speak to people or walk among them makes me physically ill - nauses, headaches, cold, rigid.
once I had a panic attack in the street. That literally took my breath away. If the stress level is too high and I'm out, some parts I can't remember. I have a lot of trouble verbalizing too.

A melt down for me is crying at the drop of a hat and feeling overwhelmed and not able to listen to anyone, especially if it's negative. I need to rock and be alone to "reset" my system. sometimes I can tell if a melt down is coming, other times it just happens out of the blue if suddenly get over stimulated or "forced" to listen to something etc.

My family does not always get this. Especially my adult children, mostly my daughter who is the most neurotypical.

I hope this helps.

I can relate to everyone who has shared in this thread...

For me now (after many years of "practice") generally the first signs are a lack of "connection" to the world, a literal shutdown of social-input/output-senses.... Followed by a tidal wave of tiredness partnered with a pressure building in my skull... This can happen slowly over days, or in a matter of milliseconds...
(Sometimes seems to be confused with depression)

Depending if I can "hibernate"(lay down, be in quiet, be alone, gtfo) dictates ENTIRELY what follows with how I respond, and where the response is directed......

Best description I can give is a "Fight or flight" reaction, which is a horrible feeling... An explosion of analysing, adrenaline, racing thoughts, shaking, a sheer fear/panic response that comes in milliseconds or over days, again, depending on the trigger...
(Sometimes seems to be confused with some kind of Anxiety Disorder)

"The-best-way-at-the-time" to get my "hibernation time" wins, and determines whether a fight or flight response is used and how....

In my life a meltdown is a urge to run away from everyone because of a feeling that my head will explode if i don't.
This happens anytime that i am forced into a stressful situation with too much noise or too much people (which basically means too much noise too lol).