this post was submitted on 16 Aug 2023
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What do shutdowns and meltdowns actually look like? (lemmy.world)
submitted 1 year ago by [email protected] to c/[email protected]
26 comments fedilink hide all child comments
 

I have read about shutdowns and meltdowns. But I don't actually get what that looks like in real time.

What I understand is that meltdowns is when someone loses control of their emotions.

Shutdowns are when someone loses the ability to perform certain functions, e.g. the ability to speak.

I was wondering if someone could give a more explicit example, of what that actually looks like?

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[–] [email protected] 9 points 1 year ago (1 children)

I can't give you how they look in general terms but I can give you my experiences. I have had shutdowns in overwhelming situations many times and generally it results in a few behaviours. I become mostly silent, certainly not able to articulate complex thoughts, and my remaining speech is often limited to a few phrases, most commonly "I don't know". I would have more trouble looking at a person than usual, sometimes staring off into the void and occasionally I would start to fall asleep or actually pass out. I have been in the middle of an argument with my parents and when they started yelling I just passed out in my chair lent over the kitchen table.

In other situations where it more sensory I have had different experience. On a loud train I found myself having trouble moving and missed my stop trying to get up. On a loud coach (long distance bus) I slept the entire trip and woke up desperate to urinate.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 year ago (1 children)

I can relate to the struggle to process speech, and use it when also experiencing a shut down. However, I haven't passed out from it. I imagine that would be stressful in certain situations.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 year ago

It would be if conscious... I mean, ultimately it has only happened in the fairly significant past for me. None of this gas been as much of an issue since getting started on Ritalin.