• Replies 3 replies
  • Subscribers 83 subscribers
  • Views 2231 views
  • Users 0 members are here
Options
Related
Hints and tips
  • To quote someone's message, first select/highlight the relevant text, and then use the Quote button that appears
  • To "mention" someone, type @ followed by the start of the forum name, and choose from the list; that person will get a notification of being mentioned

physical/mental shut down multiple times during the day

NAS37690

the title is the best way i can describe it after spending a long time trying to understand my patterns. you may have noticed that i have difficulty with memory that i have posted about on here before. can be in the middle of doing a task and i have this overwhelming need to stop and lie down. i can be trying to figure out some of my work and i cannot do anything more. it feels like i will pass out if i don’t stop. sometimes it leads me to lie down because i lose all strength in my body. at which point i may fall asleep or get very very anxious and my heart races and i feel like i start to have sensory overload. this happens multiple times during the day so i have had to start limiting the time i spend on my daily tasks. especially anything that somewhat requires a bit of mental and physical energy. do you have this??

  • Yes I get this.  I had multiple blood tests and other tests to see what was going on, and it turns out they are autistic shutdowns.  I sometimes feel physically sick trying to stop it happening.  I was once in a meeting at work and was nearly crying because I felt so sick and in so much pain because my whole body wanted me to lie down and shut my eyes.  I was interested in what was being said so it was painful and frustrating.  It happens loads.  I've got autism and going to be assessed for adhd, but there's a mega long waiting list.

  • That doesn't sound quite like my shut-downs, but mine are usually caused by an obvious stimulus. On the other hand I do sometimes get mental blanks, like very short periods of catatonia, which do have the more "out of the blue" character that you seem to be describing. And I have also got to know on one of the other autism forums, a man who seems to be describing something strikingly similar to what you've written there, though he's received no diagnosis yet. So I certainly wouldn't rule out shut-downs, there seem to be a lot of variants on these kind of temporary "absent" mental states.

    However as  said, I'd check with your GP as well; I've known people with hypoglycemia who describe dips in their blood sugar levels in a similar way.

  • I don't experience shutdowns as severe as this, but someone on this forum pointed out that some of my experiences indicate that I could be having shutdowns. If I'm feeling overwhelmed (either with sensory overload or stress), I get to the point where I can't concentrate on anything and I struggle to communicate. Everything feels like a tremendous effort; it's like I'm walking through jelly. All I want to do is lie down in a dark room and go to sleep. Even watching TV would be too much at this point.

    I have meltdowns too, which are the reverse of this. I get very anxious, angry and panicked. I'll often shout, cry, or throw things (not at people - just throwing my phone on the floor, for example). 

    Just to be on the safe side, it might be worth going to the doctor to rule out any physical causes (e.g. low blood pressure).