What exactly is meant by "meltdown"?

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I see mentions of "meltdowns" here quite a bit. I think I know what it means, but I"m not sure. I'm trying to find out if I have them. I have sudden anger explosions and panic attacks. And when I'm around crying babies, I get so stressed out I'll start crying myself if I don't get away from it -- not out of empathy for the child's distress, but just because the sound is so irritating. And I remember times of mutism during occasions where I had to give a speech or otherwise perform in a group of people. Am I close? Are any of these examples of meltdowns?

If you felt overwhelmed and your anger or tears were a reaction to that, then yes. It's like a loss of complete control (although not necessarily a complete loss of control) in response to a situation or sensation. It could be sensory based or just inability to handle the environment any more.

Some people have meltdowns, some have shutdowns some have selective mutism and some have any combination of those depending on their own triggers.

I too wonder what qualifies as meltdown and what doesn't.

So... two days ago I had to organize some administrative things, for which I had already had a reminder, and I didn't know how to do it, and then I couldn't find an important document, and then all of a sudden I screamed and kicked a hole in the plaster on the wall.
That didn't make me feel a lot better so I locked myself in my bedroom to cry and bang my head.
Was that a meltdown?

I'll by filler tomorrow and fix the plaster. At least I DO know how to do that.

That was definitely a MD. I usually have something happen like that, but it will be money, keys or cell phone I won't find. The head banging is relatively new on my end, I more often go for the face or abdomen and have to yell into a pillow. Sometimes I want to jab sharp items into my own face or strangle myself but those times are when I can't see the next 2 inches of my life ahead of me. Shutdowns and muting are usually premonitory for me, when I get that weird buzzing sensation it tells me it's only a matter of minutes or hours before something bad is going to come about

Does it apply if you get physical? Yesterday one of our roommates was going to hug me good night and the thought of being touched at the moment was very overwhelmingly negative. I told him No. Firmly and I think angrily. He said OK I will just touch your shoulder and I almost elbowed him in the face, screaming at him and shaking. Is this a meltdown? My roommates think I was kind of extreme.

I do have to point out that I told him "I do not want to be hugged right now" so he tried to just touch me instead. He thought that was better and so he said I should have explained myself better and not been mad. I do not express myself well verbally without due preparation and the altercation may have entirely been my fault.

Hmm. Interesting. Definitely on the list of things I thought everybody did.

I'm thinking I probably do have them, although they're not a big issue for me. Several situations are coming to me where I got overwhelmed -- either by anger or grief or a sensory issue (baby crying?) -- and just snapped and either went on a cursing tirade, threw something or broke down in tears. I've thrown chairs, books, knives...even a hamburger once. It's happened at home and in public. I even recall now having at least one as a small child in a restaurant, and an episode of mutism in 6th grade while trying to give a book report. I've started crying when I've been really sick. A severe case of bronchitis set me off once, as well a case of mononeucleosis. I just figured anybody would do that if they felt that ill.

Thanks for the insight. It's really opened my eyes.