Yes, it definitely happens to me.
In my case, it usually it starts with sensory overload (I have my highest scores in autism traits according to the Aspie Quiz in that area), especially prolonged or repeated, as opposed to a sensation that gets over quickly. I then become much more sensitive to social-emotional overload (one of the areas where I'm ordinarily not as bothered.)
It's like pouring water into a bucket that's already partly filled, and it overflows more easily than if it had started empty.
And at such times I want to flee from people and isolate, which may be a self-protective instinct. Because when I do isolate, things start to even out, and the lost functions start to come back online. The sooner I can isolate, and especially in a quiet, dim environment, the less prolonged the shutdown--hours rather than days.
Somehow I learned this "retreat" function in childhood, well before I knew I was autistic (I'm a very late identified person) which is what makes me think it's based in instinct. My nervous system knows what it needs to restore itself.