Meltdowns?

Post Reply New Topic

my curiosity calls again
when poeple have meltdowns are they all the same? because when i get overloaded by stuff i don't start flapping or whatever a meltdown is defined as i end up getting dizzy and feel unwell and get depressed is that a meltdown or is that something else?

Not all of them are the same, there are different kinds. Mine are yelling and screaming and crying. Mild ones would be the rapid stimming and the pacing anxiously.


I think NTs get them too when they get stressed so they might yell and then yell to be left alone so they can cool down. If they are called meltdowns for us, they should be called the same for NTs.

ive had anxious pacing before

No, not all meltdowns are the same. My most recent one I was in such a state of shock that I couldn't react to what put me in that state of shock. I couldn't do anything, cry, get upset, nothing... You talked to me, I wouldn't have responded, or I would, but with a very strained voice. I would call that fairly mild, but it still is a meltdown for me. I was in a state that it ws impossible for me to do anything because my brother destroyed my hard drive that had 500 gigs I was yet to back up. I eventually pulled myself together, and was actually able to continue babysitting my younger brother appropriatly... And called my parents to complain. I was in such a state of shock that for half an hour I let the tv babysit my younger bother while I lay there unable to do anything.

ouch thats the kinda thing i wouldnt be able to cope with too

As everyone else has said, not all meltdowns are the same.

There's another type of meltdown, called a shutdown which your reactions seem to lean a little closer to.

that makes sense

Shutdowns sounds like what I have more than meltdowns. At least that's what I prefer. If I can't be alone or getaway from the "noise" I will have a meltdown.

Also, maybe its the zoloft, I don't have angry meltdowns/shutdowns. They are almost always sensory-related. Like if more than two of my family members talk at the same time, I can have a meltdown. I could NEVER be a school teacher!! ! If people are loud, I will shutdown. If an argument goes beyond a couple cycles, I will shutdown. If I hate the music, I will have to leave or change it or I'll have a meltdown.

If someone is chewing ice or gum or eating loudly, I will have a meltdown AND a twitch.

But over all, I rarely get mad. I don't experience road rage. I am not a neat freak or necessarily uptight when people act like morons.

I am not so wierd after all...

When I am overloaded, way overloaded.... I shut down... I cant even think much beyond basic stuff.... It is a rare thing these days, I have been getting good at developing mental blocks which has increased my tolerance to meltdowns which I either shut down (95%) or have an outburst of yelling and hitting objects (5%)...

I had a meltdown last night and almost broke my hand (again). I had one last week and I was more or less in shutdown mode for several days... I am in a very stressful time at the moment and these 'shutdowns' are more common.

When I am talking with people, at stressful times in the discussion, what is stress to me anyways... i will twitch and rock... fidget and rarely, if I am not watching for it, will flap either my right or left hand against my chest... I will twitch by 'cracking my neck' maybe 2-5 times a minute...

When I can act out in my mind me twitching, flaping one hand against my chest and then an outburst of yelling... this does aleviate some pressure in stressful situation when I catch myself approaching a shutdown... Sometimes it works and sometimes it is not enough...

Hard to explain all of this but as I think and explore this more it will be a bit cleaer to me...

i had a melt down ounce were i was observing my brothers girlfriend comunicating to him in avery unbalanced disfunctional malicious way on the telephone,i was so shocked at wat she was doing to someone i luv i shut down my human conciusness and started jumping up and down like a monkey. good thing i didnt have a coconut handy.

Is a meltdown the same as a panic attack?

this the very basic about meltdowns [and the opposite-shutdowns] without getting into exact types but meltdowns are completely involuntary outbursts that the bodies' fight or flight chemicals set off in reaction to something,and they are very obvious to others,the person may remember being classed as agressive,challenging or violent-especially if they're regular and happen around others,but these can also include screaming type outbursts as well.
shutdowns are completely involuntary and include the person shutting off input from the outside of their body,the person withdraws into themself,and may experience different body functions or abilities shutting down,long term coming out of them can be slow,to others the person will be unresponsive or sleepy and because these are inbursts these are less likely to be noticed by others unless they have training or experience.

There are quite a few different experiences of both,so it's too hard to just say meltdowns is _______ and shutdowns is _______ because they can be different in everyone.
Some people tend to add the words meltdown and shutdown to most reactions they have which is wrong as these are 'extreme' reactions,not usual day to day people stuff.
meltdowns and shutdowns can also be recognised under EEG.

So... panic attack is the physiological symptoms, and meltdown is when everyone sees you acting like a crazy person?

Not all are the same, some could be yelling, some could look fine yet inside are panicking. Mine is the second one.