Meltdowns, tantrums or panic attacks?

[Dadamen]

I've read that classic autistic meltdowns have no goal. But if I recall some of my bigger meltdowns all had a goal. Once it was to get relased from hospital, other time it was to get a higher final grade from a teacher (she wanted to give me a B, but I studied a lot and thought I deserve A). On both occasions I finally got what I wanted, but didn't feel complete relief. My school psychologist described these events as panic attacks and said they are common in high school. They also have elements of meltdown (come when overhelmed, very exhausting), but also temper tantrums (used to force people to give me what I want, the victims are usually parents, teachers and doctors). Are these meltdowns, tantrums, panic attacks or a combinaton?

 

[Major Tom]

I've read that classic autistic meltdowns have no goal. But if I recall some of my bigger meltdowns all had a goal. Once it was to get relased from hospital, other time it was to get a higher final grade from a teacher (she wanted to give me a B, but I studied a lot and thought I deserve A). On both occasions I finally got what I wanted, but didn't feel complete relief. My school psychologist described these events as panic attacks and said they are common in high school. They also have elements of meltdown (come when overhelmed, very exhausting), but also temper tantrums (used to force people to give me what I want, the victims are usually parents, teachers and doctors). Are these meltdowns, tantrums, panic attacks or a combinaton?

Both examples you wrote sound like temper tantrums to me. In a meltdown you lose all control, often for no definable reason and there is no goal. It's a combination anger, fear, panic, and being overwhelmed. I know this from observing my son who has ASD-3.

I have ASD-1 and my "meltdowns" are more of a problem with processing anger or something else overwhelming, they are brief, usually end up with me punching something hard like metal or wood and screaming the f-bomb as loud as possible. I think with therapy or a less stressful environment I wouldn't have them at all.

A real meltdown is uncontrollable. In my 8 years of raising my son's opinion.

 

[Dadamen]

less stressful environment

Will have it in a bit more than a year when I finish high school

In a meltdown you lose all control, often for no definable reason and there is no goal. It's a combination anger, fear, panic, and being overwhelmed.

I have the similar feelings, but there is always a clear reason or a goal.

 

[Major Tom]

Will have it in a bit more than a year when I finish high school

I have the similar feelings, but there is always a clear reason or a goal.

If there's a goal, it's a tantrum. In my opinion. Panic attacks have no goal, but there's clear reasons for having them, "triggers".

 

[Progster]

Mine are usually born out of frustration, and frustration is raw emotion without any particular goal. Also, they can often be the culmination of a longer period of stress, until something, often trivial, happens, and it's the straw that broke the proverbial camel's back. But an outside observer hasn't seen my being stressed or wound up throughout the day, all they see is that I suddenly go bezerk at something apparently trivial, and then judge me for it.

 

[Neonatal RRT]

I would agree with @Major Tom with the concept of "triggers". My experience with them, it was when I was mentally exhausted for long periods of time prior to the events. Some would call this stage "autism burnout". You don't have much control over them when they come on, because, as I have said in other posts, these are like going from "0 to 100" in a split second. These are scary events. It's like temporary insanity, an out-of-body experience. The second I regain some consciousness of what is going on, I can squelch it down,...and is followed by extreme confusion, embarrassment, and sorrow for what I have done. I HATE that loss of control and nothing ever good comes of them.

 

[SDRSpark]

It could have elements of all three. (I used to think my meltdowns were panic attacks, because I didn't know what meltdowns were and I assumed they had to be panic attacks, but I didn't understand why they didn't look like other peoples' panic attacks. I now understand that they're actually meltdowns and I wish I'd known that years ago, I would have gotten my ASD diagnosis. No one would say someone who shrieks like a pterodactyl and yanks her hair out is "too high functioning for a diagnosis".)

If you're calmly thinking "I need to accomplish X, I will throw myself on the floor and behave like a maniac and then people will give me what I want" and then carrying it out, that's a tantrum.

If you're just fed up and overwhelmed because people aren't listening to you and it boils over, that's a meltdown, IMO. (Even if you're convinced you had a "goal", it's not something you made a conscious decision to do.)

 

[SDRSpark]

Mine are usually born out of frustration, and frustration is raw emotion without any particular goal. Also, they can often be the culmination of a longer period of stress, until something, often trivial, happens, and it's the straw that broke the proverbial camel's back. But an outside observer hasn't seen my being stressed or wound up throughout the day, all they see is that I suddenly go bezerk at something apparently trivial, and then judge me for it.

This is almost always the case for me. I can handle all manner of high stress situations and then finally lose it over something trivial. But it's definitely not the trivial thing that caused the meltdown.

 

[Dadamen]

If you're calmly thinking "I need to accomplish X, I will throw myself on the floor and behave like a maniac and then people will give me what I want" and then carrying it out, that's a tantrum.

Well, I was calmly thinking to talk to my teacher without throwing a tantrum, but when the things didn't go how I wanted I've gone crazy. It was online school, so it didn't include throwing on floor, but were some really bad messages I sent her.

 

[Ken]

My meltdown are never intentional or goal oriented. I hate having them. My meltdowns generally involve beating the sides of my head and or a loud growl. Most often, however, I have lockups or partial lockups where I am paralyzed. In a partial lockup, my speech becomes broken and can only get out one word of a sentence at a time.
All of this is anxiety related. It happens when my anxiety becomes overwhelming.

 

[OkRad]

Mine are from sensory overload. And they have caused violence TO ME. I have been beat up, kicked, strangled, etc because someone would smoke in my face, put a mine behind my house (24 hour, mind you), play relentless music, etc.......I lived in hell and was expected, as an autistic, to smile and scream away like everyone else.

I still live in hell now because my neurology is fired from it all. I have a neighbour with OCD who does laundry 4 hours a day, every day, with her vent poised right by my window. So I have, again, no peace. With the windows closed, I cannot breathe and it gets to be 100 degrees in my room in summer. Previously, I would leave and go to a gym or something. But now? Everything is closed.

Summer's gonna be hell. Lots of meltdowns, I am sure. Makes me suicidal, to be frank. I have no plan, don't worry. But my sensory issues will be what does kill me, for sure.

 

[Aspychata]

Finally learning to control this. Maybe constant exposure to sensory overload has made me more tolerant. l am quite proud of myself. I believe it's called desensitization. However l am still me. I do have a woman cave l can climb into at nite now. So thankful for this.

 

[Aspychata]

For frustration, my newer technique is to say this is extremely frustrating and to concentrate on exactly that. What does this feel like? My next step is to decide if and should l do something about the current situation l am involved in. Also, l am proactively recognizing a situation may become that way and should l reschedule to handle breaks of an annoying task. What would Buddha do? l like to ask that to meditate and move along in life. Then l can feel enlightened for at least 5 mins. I also actively reward myself for annoying situations and not responding. Adulting mixed with bribery. Now l realize l am recognising that l handle things so much better then 2 years ago. And this propels me on. I truly hope someone else is able to test this out. And finally, focus on good things that happened that day no matter how small, and smile.

 

[Streetwise]

I've read that classic autistic meltdowns have no goal. But if I recall some of my bigger meltdowns all had a goal. Once it was to get relased from hospital, other time it was to get a higher final grade from a teacher (she wanted to give me a B, but I studied a lot and thought I deserve A). On both occasions I finally got what I wanted, but didn't feel complete relief. My school psychologist described these events as panic attacks and said they are common in high school. They also have elements of meltdown (come when overhelmed, very exhausting), but also temper tantrums (used to force people to give me what I want, the victims are usually parents, teachers and doctors). Are these meltdowns, tantrums, panic attacks or a combinaton?

There are four distinct parts of panic ,hyperventilation to help you move quickly(flight, if you can't fight) ,then adrenaline sending a large amount of blood to your arms and hands and an urge to attack \kill (fight),the very rarely experienced catatonic rabbit in headlights if I stand still they won't see me,excitement!, I have discovered the source of happiness,but autistic people are very sensitive so we sense much more than NT's and panic takes a long time to not be upsetting,a tantrum is a distinct feeling of frustration, anger, again like a very young child we don't have a great ability to control it so it lasts longer and is more tiring thus meltdown,shutdown is more like psychological shock, which can vary in length of time ,dependent on different factors ,what stimulates it etc

 

[Dadamen]

I cannot breathe and it gets to be 100 degrees in my room in summer.

Have you ever heard of air conditioner? Get one and it will be fine. I have it for 4 years and it has made summer sleeps comfortable and no pain is summer anymore. It's spring now and, at least in my country there will be a lot of air conditioners on commercials and on discount.

 

[Streetwise]

Mine are from sensory overload. And they have caused violence TO ME. I have been beat up, kicked, strangled, etc because someone would smoke in my face, put a mine behind my house (24 hour, mind you), play relentless music, etc.......I lived in hell and was expected, as an autistic, to smile and scream away like everyone else.

I still live in hell now because my neurology is fired from it all. I have a neighbour with OCD who does laundry 4 hours a day, every day, with her vent poised right by my window. So I have, again, no peace. With the windows closed, I cannot breathe and it gets to be 100 degrees in my room in summer. Previously, I would leave and go to a gym or something. But now? Everything is closed.

Summer's gonna be hell. Lots of meltdowns, I am sure. Makes me suicidal, to be frank. I have no plan, don't worry. But my sensory issues will be what does kill me, for sure.

Try a supermarket that has seats ,post office I'm saying this as it might trigger a memory of a place you could go ,train station ,bus station

 

[Aspychata]

Have you ever heard of air conditioner? Get one and it will be fine. I have it for 4 years and it has made summer sleeps comfortable and no pain is summer anymore. It's spring now and, at least in my country there will be a lot of air conditioners on commercials and on discount.

Even fans are quiet and move heat around.

 

[Dadamen]

Even fans are quiet and move heat around.

Yes, now the worst heat for me is before 15 June or after 1 September when I have to go to school where is hot and no AC.

 

[Aspychata]

Yes l understand. l am almost retired so l combat heat by just laying down. That really helps me. Laying down and relaxing has turned out to be my most favorite thing to do in old age. Plus l live alone so only l decide the To-Do list. lol.

 

[Streetwise]

Yes l understand. l am almost retired so l combat heat by just laying down. That really helps me. Laying down and relaxing has turned out to be my most favorite thing to do in old age. Plus l live alone so only l decide the To-Do list. lol.

Keep one room completely dark in the highest temperature period and don't open them if it's over 20°-25° Celsius and you have a natural cooling area.