Meltdowns

Post Reply New Topic

How do meltdowns present themselves in adults?

I was helping my wife (NT) change our bed earlier and it wasn't how it was supposed to be (or how I wanted it I suppose) and I was trying to fix it but my wife was like, no and wouldn't let me and I completely freaked out. I got really angry, walked off, shouted, almost got physically violent when she tried to talk to me about it.

Is this an extreme reaction or some kind of meltdown? I'm usually a very placid, calm person. So much so that my friends call me a walking Valium. But sometimes things set me off like that and I become some kind of monster. Am I a monster or is this some kind of meltdown or am I immature and having a tantrum?

Sometimes, not usually, but sometimes, an event can pull in other frustrations which then add energy to the thing.
Those other frustrations might be conscious or unconscious.
Might be something to examine.
Or maybe not.

Sounds like a meltdown to me, and I've struggled with them myself recently... and recognizing and avoiding the temptation to violence mid-meltdown seems to me a good sign of one not being a monster.

Thanks both. I think my wife and I have worked it out.

My mood has been a bit unstable recently (I have a mood disorder and my lithium has just been increased as the level was a bit low) and I think what probably happened was an autistic moment triggering a mood episode. If that makes sense? I couldn't cope with the bed because of autistic reasons and I think my reaction was part autistic meltdown and part mood episode. I've been very irritable lately and it hasn't taken much to set me off so I think the inability to fix it to my liking just set off the feeling of 'oh my god this is wrong I can't cope' and also rage. In the past when this has happened I might self harm or cry so yeah.