How to stop a meltdown?

Post Reply New Topic

hey
I'm a 14 yr old girl and i go to a grammar school in the UK. I keep on walking out of classes though and SEN have tried to help but the school are trying to chuck me out. don't blame them really. iv'e been really depressed lately and having some unwelcome thoughts something happened in drama that keeps on happening. So i was sitting in Drama (last lesson of the day) and we were reading our new GCSE script for the first time. My teacher asked me to read and i said no, she said okay and someone else did my part. Then i started thinking about everything, i got really hot and sweaty and it felt like everyone around me was shouting. My heart was beating at 100mph and i felt dizzy. We were all in a circle and i felt trapped and crowded.I was worrying about loads of things.Then the lights became super bright and i knew i needed to get out. I tried to hold on as long as i could but when i couldnt hold it in i ran out and i just.. ran. i knew if i stayed i'd embarrass myself. i'm really worried what i would do if i stay because i feel like i just need to run around bang my head jump up and down and scream but i know i cant, i know it's not socially acceptable but i feel like i get to the point where i have no control and i have no idea what i would no. so i just run out and then somehow after like half an hour of walking i calm myself down. but the thing is after 5 minutes everyones looking for me. I'm really stuck, i dont know what to do when this happens. The teachers have been told not to let me out so i cant say can i leave when this happens and usually i probably can't talk. The thing is nobody notices. Should i just stay and just let what happens happen? I'm so confused, i dont know what to do! What can happen when a teen girl has a meltdown? Nothings ever happened infront of anyone before . please help

Do you have an autism diagnosis? If so, you and your parents can talk to the school about getting you needed accommodations, like letting you leave and go to a specific safe space when you feel overwhelmed. You could have a signal that only the teachers recognise so as not to draw attention to your need to leave.

If you're not diagnosed, perhaps you could talk to a school counsellor, or see if your parents can help you get assessed by a professional. Even if you can't get an autism diagnosis, there are a lot of other disorders, like anxiety or ADHD, which can produce symptoms similar to the ones you're describing, which may be the cause of your problem, and can be accommodated in schools in much the same way as autism. Good luck, I know meltdowns suck.

You're not alone in having them. I'm a lot older than you but still have to deal with them from time-to-time. Had a stunning one in public on a train platform in Italy a couple of years ago - in front of my wife, two friends and a small herd of Italians. I was supremely embarrassed later on - good thing Italians are used to excitable people.

The good news is that as you get older you tend to get better at avoiding them by removing more of the things for your life that can set them off. As an adult you tend to have more freedom to "walk out of a situation" and avoid the meltdown starting.

Talk to your teachers about it - maybe have a secret hand signal with them. For example if you raise your hand with three fingers, it could be a symbol to them that you need to step out of the classroom for five minutes.

Take care