ASD Toshiro – Causes of Meltdowns

Written version of video:

Hi everyone, this is Autism Toshiro Hitsugaya, or ASD Toshiro for short.

The subject I’ll be focusing on in this audio video is possible causes of meltdowns. What has been annoying me for a while now is that I’ve more often seen on the internet the results of a meltdown, but I haven’t seen a focus on the possible causes. I can only relate from my own experiences, but my meltdowns are very meaningful. I do not go into meltdown mode for no reason whatsoever. They are not brought on by a whim, they are triggered. I do have reasons. These reasons come under some very real concerns of mine.

Now, when you think about it, we all have boiling points. Moments where we have reached our limit and enough is enough. It doesn’t matter if you’re on the spectrum or not, we all feel pressure, stress and frustration. Well, I feel that when you are on the spectrum that threshold is a lot lower, therefore we can get to our boiling point much more sooner. When you add PTSD into the autistic mix, you have a very powerful force. Why? Because PTSD involves trauma, and a reaction to triggers can bring back painful memories. Can you imagine the impact that has on my boiling point? PTSD involves pain, traumatic pain. In that respect, the idea that people on the spectrum show no emotion is proven to be absolutely false. Now, not only do I understand pain from my own experiences, upset and angry when I’m hurt, I feel lonely, but when it comes to meltdowns, what are they? They are huge emotional bursts of energy. That’s right, emotional bursts of energy. So, you can say that when you’re on the spectrum, you feel much more vividly. The emotions you get are much stronger. The reactions you have from the experiences you face are a lot more meaningful. In fact, when you’ve gone through trauma, it is a heck of a lot more meaningful.

But why do meltdowns happen?

Well, in my case it can be because of many reasons. One is when I have been badly hurt by an incident that happened to me, in whatever form. It can come from reacting to a trigger I’ve witnessed that brings back the painful memories of my past, and equally reminds me of my current predicament. I’ve also notice I have other triggers as well, the difficulties I have with travelling, especially to Japan and China spring to mind. Another cause of my meltdowns can come from noticing a clear distinction between my own abilities and those of my peer group. I can also find myself experiencing meltdowns because of a lack of understanding by those I’m interacting with or could effect me in some way, shape or form. From losing a good friend, causing me immense pain.

They are just some of the examples, and what do they all have in common? They are all tied to very real afflictions. They are all very painful and difficult to cope with. They are also beyond my control. I cannot prevent my meltdowns if they are tied to experiences like the ones I’ve mentioned because they are all connected to feelings, and they are all painful. The greater the pain, the greater the meltdown. When you look at it that way, meltdowns are the physical ways our bodies are telling ourselves and others just how upset we feel. We want both ourselves and others to know just how painful it really is. We want to find answers to rectify the pains we are going through, and not just to ignore them, hoping the meltdowns will just go away. Meltdowns are warnings of how upset we feel. I feel, you shouldn’t ignore the reasons for a meltdown and simply find ways to control them. Think about why these meltdowns are happening. The autistic person must be suffering from anything from loud noisy environments to the social difficulties they are facing in the outside world.

The cause of meltdowns needs to be dealt with for the meltdowns to decrease in both severity and quantity. For the autistic person to be in a safe, caring, and understanding environment where they are able to fulfil their dreams and live a satisfying life, that is when I feel their meltdowns may be practically non-existent, at least that is my belief.

That’s it for now and thank you for listening or reading, :).