Do I have meltdowns and is that a sign of a mental illness?

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Cinnamon
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09 Mar 2013, 7:38 am

At times I get outbursts. I get really angry and it feels as if I will explode.
I tend to scream then, and hit my head with my fist - not hard enough to break skin, but hard enough to get bumps. Or I hit my head against hard things, like wall or furniture. I then hide in my bed and cry.
Sometimes that is all, and I am okay after that. Other times I need to go out and walk by the seaside to feel good again.
On rare occasions I don't want to talk for up to three days.
I have also kicked a hole in the plaster wall recently (in my defense- the plaster is ancient and crumbles even if you just press it with a finger).
When I was little I also bit my arm. I rarely do that now, but it does happen.

I wonder if these are 'meltdowns' and/or if they are a sign of a mental illness, and if so, what mental illness?
ATM I am not depressed.

Does anyone else get similar outbursts?



aspiemike
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09 Mar 2013, 8:47 am

I can tell you that many people think that only people with autism or aspergers have meltdowns. I can tell you that this is not true.
My meltdowns are usually the result of self-defeating thoughts or behaviours. I do my best to avoid such behaviours or thoughts, but when I do get them, it's obvious that I need my alone time to collect my thoughts and feelings and get back to normal. Sometimes the meltdowns can happen because something didn't go as planned or I didn't get something that I really wanted.
As for hitting things and self-harm. My meltdowns have never been like that, but I am similar in the fact tht I will want to be alone and away from others.



CockneyRebel
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09 Mar 2013, 11:20 am

My meltdowns are caused by flashbacks that I have about my childhood and upbringing. There are times when I wonder if I have PSTD. I remember one that I had in Walmart when I saw a mother abusing her autistic son by shaking him and asking him what he was doing. I said a really stupid answer in regards of the son that's not to be repeated here.


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Callista
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09 Mar 2013, 1:23 pm

Mental illness... ehh, I'm not a professional. But I could say that your meltdowns can be called a problem. You damage things and hurt yourself, and you are most likely distressed by this. So, yeah, it's something you should try to understand and address.


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Cinnamon
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13 Mar 2013, 6:12 am

Thank you for the replies.
I don't get these 'meltdowns' because of self defeating thoughts or flashbacks.
I noticed that there are some situations in which they almost always happen. Usually if I've been to a big, busy city - then, a few days after getting home, I get like this. A few years ago after I had moved house I had a massive 'meltdown' and didn't speak for several days. So I suppose it is stress related.
The last time I was just cleaning the house, but little things kept going wrong. I bumped into something (and I hate bumping into things when I am concentrating - even if I am just concentrating on cleaning) and then I hit my knuckles, and then a bin fell over so all the rubbish was on the floor, and then I 'lost it' and hit my head.

I don't really hurt myself much; it is not very painful. I have been biting myself and hitting my head since I was little, and I know more young children do that, but I don't know of any adults who still do that. It is quite embarrassing.

I looked up all sorts of mental and personality disorders online but I don't seem to fit the criteria for any of them.

Am I really the only adult who does this? :(



jk1
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13 Mar 2013, 7:40 am

I can control my temper when there are people around. If something goes wrong when I'm alone, then I might sometimes throw or destroy something. For example, at work there is this plastic thing that needs to be assembled before use. Sometimes some of my colleagues assemble one slightly wrongly though it's still usable. Instead of reassembling it, I just feel angry at their carelessness and put it on the floor and jump on it to destroy it. I don't do it if there's anyone around. So it's like releasing stress. I never hit myself.



Ettina
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13 Mar 2013, 9:51 am

Quote:
I noticed that there are some situations in which they almost always happen. Usually if I've been to a big, busy city - then, a few days after getting home, I get like this. A few years ago after I had moved house I had a massive 'meltdown' and didn't speak for several days. So I suppose it is stress related.


Maybe sensory overload?

Incidentally, meltdowns are seen in many different conditions, though the triggers are often condition-specific.



Cinnamon
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16 Mar 2013, 5:05 am

jk1 - I am really curious what that plastic thing is.... :)

Ettina - maybe big cites could cause sensory overload. Frankly, I can't see how they could not and I don't understand how people manage to live in them without going completely insane...
But that is not the only thing that causes outbursts. Trying to get my paperwork sorted often has the same effect as well, especially if I have to make phone calls for it.

When I was little I did these things too, and my mother used to place me under a lukewarm shower until I'd stop screaming.
I just think I ought to be over it now - I am a little too old for it. What if I still do this when I'm 80.. might cause myself to fracture a hip! :P

I should have an assessment for Asperger's soon, but I'm starting to think that I really don't meet the criteria. I am quite good at reading facial expressions and body language for instance, and that is really not possible with any kind of autistic spectrum disorder. I also consider myself to be very empathic - but the EQ questionnaire that I had to do for the screening had a different outcome, so I may be wrong there...

I think these outburst also mean there is something else the matter, because it seems so completely insane to do that if you are an adult, so I figure I have to be mentally ill somehow?