Aspie meltdown????

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Im wanting to know if the following sounds like an Aspie meltdown or not.

I had to go to court for a serious charge and was fine about it till I got to court and was waiting in the waiting room to go in. They were running way behind time.... and I guess I started to stress?? I got nervous there waiting in the waiting room to go in and see the judge. I started rocking in my chair and was getting my partner to pat my back (which helps to calm me).

As time went by, still waiting to go in, started to like dissociate... as the whole thing started to feel like unreal.. the court case as I was there for something I didnt even do. It feels so wrong as it IS WRONG as i shouldnt have been there... so I started to disconnect.. and then everything about me felt unreal, the situation.. and me too.

Just before I started to disconnect.. I got like a rush.. like an adrenaline high.. and felt like i was on drugs or something.

Due to starting to go into "unreality" as situation was wrong... I expressed my concern to my partner of what was occurring and he suggested I get up and walk about the room. So I went to get up to do that.. but suddenly.. BAM.. it hit.. I completely disconnected/dissociated with stress and I apparently dropped to floor screaming, hitting myself and yelling things (i cant remember what) and wanting to slam my head into the wall.

(I actually lost memory from when I went to stand... to when I was in another part of room with all these people about me trying to calm and cool me down while i was crying on floor).

Does this sound like an Aspie emotional meltdown to a situation I was unable to emotionally/mentally deal with?????

Sounds like a panic attack.

Not related to Asperger's according to everything I've read so far.

Sounds like a cross between a meltdown and a panic attack. During a panic attack you usually think you are dying, unreal, having a heart attack, etc. The hitting confuses me though. I didn't think that was part of a panic attack and is more likely to occur in a meltdown.

How'd you feel afterward? If it was a meltdown you'd probably want everyone away and just want to be alone. If it was a panic attack you'd probably still be having physical symptoms like rapid/abnormal heartbeat. A meltdown will likely just make you want to go to a corner or lay down to calm down.

I think it might be possible to have a meltdown as a result of a panic attack.

Something like that can put a lot of extra stress on a person, and in that situation is was most likely caused my a panic attack as stated above.

Sounds like what they used to call "hysterics" in the olden days. Total emotional overload. It's happened to me around three times in my life and is very peculiar, but is harmless except for what people might think of you.

I agree that it sounds like a panic attack that turned into a meltdown. I've never lost memory during a meltdown myself, but I have read that that can happen when the overload is very severe.

I have had things like that happen to me. It is not fun. I sympathize with you on this... sorry you had to deal with that.

I agree with the others here... panic attack. I did not believe that I had panic attacks until rather recently when the symptoms were explained to me in a more thorough way. Some people have times of derealization and depersonalization... the whole disassociation bit while having a panic attack. I always figured it was just accelerated heart rate, chest pain, paranoia, arm tingles and such... there is more to it all though.

I agree with this assessment.

-Johnathan

It's not necessarily harmless, as you might hurt yourself by hitting yourself, or you might hurt someone else or break something.

I was refused service to a hospital over teh weekend, because I insisted that I needed my fiance to come back and help me communicate with the doctor. After refuseing to admit me to the hospital, I threw my drink on the ground swore and collapsed on a bench crying and shaking couldn't speak full sentances to afterwards - is that a "melt down" - I thought it was but I didn't hit myself or anyone, just yelled and cried and lost my ability to articulate what I was trying to say so could not advocte for myself.

depersonalization disorder.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Depersonalization_disorder

You case to me is a fairly clear case of a "melt down"

Thank you all for the posts. Analyses of the comments are so far

3 think Panic Attack
2 think panic attack melt down
2 think hysterics (i think doctors call it something else now days, im not sure what thou?)
1 depersonalization disorder http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Depersonalization

"Depersonalization is a subjective experience of unreality in one's sense of self, while derealization is unreality of the outside world. " from wikipedia . I experienced both depersonalization and derealization before I blanked out.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Derealization

How on earth do I stop things like that happening? , Its very disturbing...

Hysterics or hysteria comes from the Greek word for uterus and was supposed to be a nervous disorder experienced only by women, which caused them to behave strangely. It has been discredited as a disease but there's some speculation that it may have been the result of women being severely abused and developing dissociative disorders to deal with abuse. Depersonalization Disorder and other disorders involving chronic dissociation are usually associated with severe trauma. Unless you have suffered severe abuse or are a combat veteran, I doubt that's the problem.

Dissociating during periods of massive stress can happen to anyone, however, and it sounds like that is part of what happened. Also, since the autistic brain tends to start shutting down when it is having difficulty in processing something, or when under stress, it would not be surprising for it to happen to someone with autism.



Try not to get stressed out.

Don't I know how this feels. I was let go from a job in my chosen field (social work) because I burst into tears at my desk when I received a call from my other job that they were letting me go... I was spending too much time in the social work office So I lost two jobs within 5 days.

I am glad now that I recognize the potential for meltdowns as I have recently gotten my AS/NLD DX.

ohh that would be horrid and knock the self confidence about. Pity they didnt recognise your special value..... you would of been great for dealing with the Aspie cases needing some help.

I hope you find another job in your field.. I suggest maybe put across your special value at being able to understand Aspie cases better then NTs.