Shutdowns/Meltdowns---What are they? Do all adults with ASD have them?

[quarantinedonearth]

I'm a 26 year-old female and I'm trying to determine whether I'm a high functioning autistic or not. I have 35 of the 44 symptoms described in Rudy Simone's book Aspergirls. Except... I don't have angry meltdowns or shutdowns. I get very depressed sometimes but that's it.
Does the fact that I don't have meltdowns/shutdowns mean I don't have high functioning autism?
Is there anyone here officially diagnosed but doesn't have meltdowns/shutdowns?

 

[Tyrantus1212]

Meltdowns and shutdowns are common in Asperger's, but not universal - so their absence doesn't rule out high-functioning autism/AS. I'm really glad you don't experience them! I really wish I didn't. I experience angry meltdowns, not proud to admit it...and in some cases it can get pretty scary; my mother just doesn't know what to do about it; she's scared for my mental health. They make me come off as mentally ill and the number of times it almost cost me the people I care about most is just unbearable to think about. I recently told my mother that I hated her during one of them, and I called one of my coworkers something beyond super-nasty during another one (not directly). That's only the tip of the iceberg, and it hurts because outside of these meltdowns I'm really not a bad guy. Many of them are actually directed against myself, to the point of punching myself in the face (I even remember in rare cases grabbing myself by the neck as if to self-strangle, but without actually meaning to do it). I actually don't experience shutdowns because my emotions, which I'm unable to control most of the time, go all outwards I hate to admit. Each meltdown is followed by an extremely depressive phase mostly due to its aftermath, a few of which made me want to commit myself to a mental institution (which would have been a huge mistake, to be sure).

 

[Inator]

Uh. I don't know if a rage attack (throwing or breaking objects around (though never hitting people)) "counts" as an aspie meltdown. Because a lot of NeuroTypicals do have this same kind of reaction to frustration. Oh, and pulling the hair during it.
There's times however, like when tripping on the bus while waiting to reach my destiny, when I think a lot of things; I begin with something simple, then "branch" to a depressive point of view form it, then to another, another, another; the lower my mood, the lower I fall. And so I imagine the situations even more negatively. Is that a "true meltdown"? But, I don't overreact about it, only cry and rage in my head .

I'm AS; it may not seem like I have the "stereotypical-kind of meltdowns", but desperation do expresses itself in different, "silent" ways.

 

[Crossbreed]

I defer my strong negative emotions, including possible meltdowns, when in high-stress situations.* I find both of them to be unreliable decision-makers.

I go into "engineering" mode until either the problem has been resolved or I conclude that I have no remaining influence on it. At that time, I can feel negative emotions wash over me like sadness or grief. And I just let them, as I understand it is both necessary and healthful to do so.

I haven't often cried as an adult, but I have panicked and felt melancholy. Anger usually drives me to zero in on the source of the problem and figure out what needs to be done to fix it.

*At the start of a conflict, my temper still often flares up on the inside, but I keep it to myself. It usually dissipates after I have made a level-headed assessment of the situation.

 

[WittyAspie]

The existence of melt downs is not the definition of Asperger's Syndrome. I am officially doagnosed and have never had a meltdown/shutdown.

 

[Momo]

Sometimes my version of a meltdown is just shutting down entirely, going very very quite and being unable to respond. Sometimes it's anger (rarer) and sometimes it's just a sob fest. Though my usual meltdowns are pretty quiet, you wouldn't know it was occurring unless you tried to interact with me, then it might just fall apart into a further stage of crud.

 

[Suzanne]

And to follow on from others: my version of a meltdown is shaking with anger and if I am on my own, sadly I do swear, but feel awful about that and go very red.

If not abated, I go into deep silent mode, which observed by others, would be a tantrum and kind of: oh for goodness sake act your age!

My spiritual mom was told that she does not have aspergers, because she is too social ( which is weird, since she is not) and does not have meltdowns. I beg to differ, because of her deep understanding with me.

 

[Streetwise]

Sometimes my version of a meltdown is just shutting down entirely, going very very quite and being unable to respond. Sometimes it's anger (rarer) and sometimes it's just a sob fest. Though my usual meltdowns are pretty quiet, you wouldn't know it was occurring unless you tried to interact with me, then it might just fall apart into a further stage of crud.

i wonder if its something to do with actual physical size? IVE noticed people of different heights and weights react differently to spontaneous occurrences !
for very tall people seem a lot calmer (can be angry but very rarely whereas people below 5'3 could be slightly taller seem to be very heated in their reactions ?
i know its also a mix of abuse /not abuse ,lack of a balanced diet amounts of sunlight physical rest teaching from an infant

 

[quarantinedonearth]

thank you for your responses!
whenever im on a vehicle (in the passenger seat) i get lost in my own thoughts, not paying attention to whats going on outside. i only realize the outside (i always sit next to a window) few times and that's like coming out of a trance. is this a kind of shutdown?

 

[Streetwise]

i think its like catatonia but you could move if you if wanted to whereas catatonia seems to heavily sedate the muscles so the creature doesnt move physically for a period of time i think its a constituent of epilepsy along with seizures

thank you for your responses!
whenever im on a vehicle (in the passenger seat) i get lost in my own thoughts, not paying attention to whats going on outside. i only realize the outside (i always sit next to a window) few times and that's like coming out of a trance. is this a kind of shutdown?

 

[quarantinedonearth]

i can hear, talk or move if i want. i even realize when i get to my stop. it's not catatonia. im not sure if this is the right term but i "zone out". i dont pay attention to the outside, i get lost in my own thoughts and im usually not aware of what im thinking. i think involuntarily, somewhat unconsciously and not in a linear way but with associations.

 

[Streetwise]

i have to explain theories in detail when i mentioned like catatonia IM using it like the medical community use fasciculation which! can!!!!! be!!!! muscles twitching in legs face other body parts stimulated by stress or a virus or muscle death well known in the motor neurone diseases or dystrophies (muscular etc or terminal diseases
so one term can describe different physical psychological conditions .
someone could innacurately diagnose catatonia after a very brief observation whereas its actually daydreaming

i can hear, talk or move if i want. i even realize when i get to my stop. it's not catatonia. im not sure if this is the right term but i "zone out". i dont pay attention to the outside, i get lost in my own thoughts and im usually not aware of what im thinking. i think involuntarily, somewhat unconsciously and not in a linear way but with associations.[/QUOTE

 

[Crossbreed]

whenever im on a vehicle (in the passenger seat) i get lost in my own thoughts, not paying attention to whats going on outside. i only realize the outside (i always sit next to a window) few times and that's like coming out of a trance. is this a kind of shutdown?

I don't think so. In my case, it has been being so shocked about an offense as to be at a loss for words. It isn't the refusal to talk. It is a temporary inability. I can still see, hear, think and process everything non-verbally at those times.

 

[Chance]

I'm a 26 year-old female and I'm trying to determine whether I'm a high functioning autistic or not. I have 35 of the 44 symptoms described in Rudy Simone's book Aspergirls. Except... I don't have angry meltdowns or shutdowns. I get very depressed sometimes but that's it.
Does the fact that I don't have meltdowns/shutdowns mean I don't have high functioning autism?
Is there anyone here officially diagnosed but doesn't have meltdowns/shutdowns?

I am ASD but I hardly meltdown... I shut down, or just take myself somewhere off in my head till I feel I can function again. It depends on how bad it gets, and where I am I guess... but sometimes its like pulling a safety lever in my head. I would rather just shut down, and close off everything around me, and go silent then explode all over the place. Only later too shut down anyway, because I just made a huge fool of myself and will have to apologize to everyone... which I have done before and it sucks... however its a great lesson in humility.

I study NT's and they just seem to handle all of this stuff at the same time. I don't think they have any differences in anger, or being pissed off, its just they can "time" it all to get it all out right and just move on in a flawless fashion most often... As for me it gets all clogged up... It's like I start tripping over these out of place thoughts in my head. and I'm usually more angry with myself than with anyone else.

So I literally go inside my head and look at all this stuff that is just random and try and figure out why??? Where does it go, what the hell did I just think that insane thought for? It has nothing to do with what I am doing... This is what I am doing maybe when I shutdown to some extent, but definitely what I am doing when I just "zone out"...

"Earth to Chance... Awe, he's off chasing stuff in his head again..." Yes, that (or something like it) is told to me pretty often. BUT I love to blow their mind when I come back with some idea they have never dreamt of, and it works!!! So its not always a bad thing at all.

 

[WittyAspie]

Zoning out is a typical AS trait. It is different from a meltdown/shutdown, but is still an indicator of being on the spectrum.

 

[quarantinedonearth]

thank you witty.

 

[WittyAspie]

No problem; that's what we're here for.

 

[Chance]

The existence of melt downs is not the definition of Asperger's Syndrome. I am officially doagnosed and have never had a meltdown/shutdown.

I am officially ASD and not aspie, but I like the Aspie term much better...
Never to argue but... Meltdowns and shutdowns are massive in ASD

There are countless pages of links out there, even Autism Speaks (coughing gag) they have tons of stuff. The Autism Network, just and on and on... So I really think that while some do not have them, others are plagued by them. I have shutdowns and they are very much linked to ASD.

I am fully functioning and reasonably intelligent, but when I get really tired the Tourettes kick in and I start acting like a messed up being. It becomes very hard for me to get my words out, my brain goes into overdrive and out thinks my mouth and I start closing my eyes real hard.... Yet when not tired, I only get stuck words every now and then and roll on.

I could say everyone who has ADS has Tourettes, or PTSD, or OCD (bash, blah) but its just a broad Spectrum of stuff that screw us up... We all have different goof ball things but mostly meltdowns and shutdowns are a huge thing inside that spectrum and there is tons of data out there.

I really think my shutdowns are caused by the anxiety attacks more than ASD, but all link back to ASD, so...

 

[WittyAspie]

I am officially ASD and not aspie, but I like the Aspie term much better...
Never to argue but... Meltdowns and shutdowns are massive in ASD

There are countless pages of links out there, even Autism Speaks (coughing gag) they have tons of stuff. The Autism Network, just and on and on... So I really think that while some do not have them, others are plagued by them. I have shutdowns and they are very much linked to ASD.

I am fully functioning and reasonably intelligent, but when I get really tired the Tourettes kick in and I start acting like a messed up being. It becomes very hard for me to get my words out, my brain goes into overdrive and out thinks my mouth and I start closing my eyes real hard.... Yet when not tired, I only get stuck words every now and then and roll on.

I could say everyone who has ADS has Tourettes, or PTSD, or OCD (bash, blah) but its just a broad Spectrum of stuff that screw us up... We all have different goof ball things but mostly meltdowns and shutdowns are a huge thing inside that spectrum and there is tons of data out there.

I really think my shutdowns are caused by the anxiety attacks more than ASD, but all link back to ASD, so...

I wasn't trying to say that meltdowns are not a trait of ASD. I understand many people suffer greatly from meltdowns that interfere with their everyday life. Rather, my point was that it is possible to have ASD without that specific trait. Like you said, it is a broad spectrum. To my knowledge no one exhibits every single trait of AS/HFA, but we all exhibit some/most of the traits.

 

[Chance]

I wasn't trying to say that meltdowns are not a trait of ASD. I understand many people suffer greatly from meltdowns that interfere with their everyday life. Rather, my point was that it is possible to have ASD without that specific trait. Like you said, it is a broad spectrum. To my knowledge no one exhibits every single trait of AS/HFA, but we all exhibit some/most of the traits.

Cool, I thought I was going bonkers... I misunderstood you, which isn't hard for me to do sometimes... Sorry : )