Autism Meltdown vs Panic Attack (ESSENTIAL INFORMATION)

This is the difference between an autism meltdown vs panic attack, you have to know this!

With autism it presents autism meltdowns and autism meltdowns can occur from things like a change in routine sensory overload or a breakdown or shutdown from too much input.

Not typically a meltdown on the autism spectrum will consist of a complete outpour of emotions that are uncontrollable this could be a crying fit or hitting one self in the head or complete shutdown and just give up on emotions.

However a panic attack happens when you are anxious or nervous about something and will therefore have a panic attack where you can present shortness of breath a overload of worry and a nervous shiver caused by an influx of adrenaline.

The panic attack stems from a fight or flight scenario in the brain that we had when we were hunter gatherers running away from large tigers or dominant predators.

A meltdown on the other hand consists of a series of overstimulated neurological input.

Let me know if you’re looking to add to this conversation and pop it in a comment down below also follow @TheAspieWorld for more autism content.

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[MrTonyJ]

For some people meltdowns are triggered by other people. Not living up to their expectations or arguments and a lot of emotion that cannot be made sense of.

[juliakauffman]

i now I realize how many meltdowns I've had and how few panic attacks I've had! Thanks, Dan!

[Sterling.theqxyb]

I have both meltdowns and panic attacks and they are very different. With a panic attack I can remove myself from the environment focus on breathing and once it's over get back to what I was doing. With the meltdown I'm crying and people ask what's going on but I may only be able to get out parts of things that don't make much sense. I'll start saying one thing but my thought process is jumbled so it's like I'm trying to explain like three different things but none of it is coming out right. Sometimes the meltdowns will be just pure unfiltered anger...it's not fun because I feel like I'm going to be perceived like a monster if anyone can hear me. But you're definitely right about the fatigue that happens afterwards. It could take a whole day to recover and if my meltdowns start to become more frequent, I could spend three or four days in bed. I think the most concerning thing about the meltdowns is that the recovery that's needed after can be perceived by others as depression. So sometimes people will encourage you to keep moving instead of getting the rest. Long comment I know but I found this video very relatable and wanted to share.

[whygoatdagame]

I have also noticed that melt downs happen more frequently when a individual is in a rushed or raw state. For instance, when first waking up, overly tired, following a straining task, sudden change in physical or social atmosphere, & when not feeling well can all be heighten moments for possible meltdown.

[jethrobradley]

A meltdown seems to be defined by not being able to think straight. Don’t know what’s going on. Struggling to communicate needs in that moment. Can be Intense discomfort. Feeling of pressure / anger / frustration thrown into the mix.

Panic attack is, as you say, all about the fear.

I suppose the two can overlap. Think I’ve experienced that once. I don’t recommend it 🙂

[VlacqKayal]

There is one word you said that made it all click for me: despair.
I used to describe my panic attacks as “despair attacks”. I would always say “it’s like a panic attack, but instead of feeling fear or anxiety, I feel despair”. At the time, a panic attack was the only thing I knew to call them, but I guess they weren’t panic attacks after all. 😉
And it really is that combo of sensory overload and a communication barrier. “I can’t brain” is usually all I can say.

[maddestofthemall]

This is especially important for people who have more than one person with Autism in the house. Had a huge meltdown yesterday. Husband got a new TV. I had it spelled out exactly how to get it done, and wanted to wait. He however had to have it done right then even though it was late. Countdown to meltdown... 3.. He wanted me to help, but he didn't want to do it the way I'd rehearsed it in my head... 2... then something went terribly wrong, fixable but still wrong... 1... BOOM I started hooting and fussing, couldn't speak. Stimming didn't work. Ended up in the rocking chair with my head covered until long after he was done. Lasted about an hour, was sick and exhausted by the time I was done. Thing is, he wanted it done right away because he had a script in his head that he'd rehearsed and didn't want to e the one to melt down..

[turzigaming]

It frustrates me when I see a kid having an Autistic Meltdown, and people think it's a temper tantrum - I get that they're similar, but don't tarnish us with the same brush as naughty kids.

[ksthoughtpalace]

I have caught each one of mine on video, both an unexpected panic attack and a meltdown. The meltdown is 100x more embarrassing and looks 10x more 'crazy' than a panic attack.

[RyanGrantier]

I've certainly experienced both but generally called them both panic attacks because I didn't know the difference. I was at a wedding a couple years ago with flashing lights, loud music, dancing, and crowds of people around me. I called it a panic attack but I can confidently say it was a meltdown. Many of my panic attacks occurred at my previous job when I was forced to interact in a meeting, spurring my social anxiety. Always great content! Thanks :)

[funkyartist]

Meltdowns, for me, are usually defined by a sense of pure rage and have this feeling as though there are wires short circuiting in my head and body. I lose the ability to speak, start shaking, and feel as though I'm about to explode in this state. They're always triggered by external factors like overwhelming smells or sounds, and I feel warning signs when they're building, like irritability and twitching. Panic attacks creep up slowly and have this distinctive cold, dreadful feeling in my stomach and chest that turns into hyperventilating, etc. I've noticed that the panic attacks are anticipatory whereas the meltdowns are more reactionary. Not always, but mostly. There is a lot of overlap between the two in terms of some of the physical and emotional symptoms, and I know everyone experiences things differently. Oftentimes, I'll have a meltdown because, say, my neighbor starts to play loud music. The panic attack can (and often does) come later when I'm still recovering from the meltdown, and the panic has more to do with worrying about whether the music will start again, if my neighbor heard me crying and if they'll somehow attack me for this, etc. It's irrational and I'd prefer to have neither meltdowns nor panic attacks, but that's how I distinguish between the two. All I can say is I love my dog, my weighted blanket, peppermint tea, and my noise cancelling headphones.

[sunnyreid]

Just wanted to thank you for making this video! I'm 23year old woman I have been diagnosed with adhd, dyslexia, anxiety, and depression but have never felt like I have found the core of what was going on with me. I always felt different and have had a really hard time understanding people around me. I've spent the last few weeks doing research into autism (after I watched an autism in women video that hit way to close to home) and have had a hard time understanding the difference between panic attacks (which I was told I had been having) and meltdowns. Understanding the difference between these has opened my eyes a lot. I've worked as a server for years and have had many instances where I would get incredibly overwhelmed at work when it was busy and loud, it would cause me to cry and have chest pains, and bring on really bad head aches but I didn't feel panicked, just felt incredibly overwhelmed by everything around me to the point that I felt like I might explode. I definitely experienced panic attacks in other situations but I think these may have been meltdowns. Your videos have helped me a lot to understand what autism feels live for those who have it and I really appreciate that. I have an appointment with my therapist next week to talk about this and see what steps I need to take in getting a diagnosis.

[MermaidMakes]

I’m recently learning, as an adult, that I’m a lower needs autistic person, Formerly known as Aspergers, and I’m just now discovering that what I thought were “giant panic attacks” have been meltdowns . I experience both and I knew there was a difference between them but I thought the difference was just varying levels of panic. Now that I type that, I guess there’s just one level of panic: panic. So many things in my life are all making so much more sense to me…thank you so much for this video.

[BertTheIndomitable]

I have been binge watching your videos like mad. Because I recently had the inclination, or epiphany, that I may have Asperger's syndrome. 😧 All the signs point towards it... It has shaken my foundation to the core. It also had dawned on me that I am extremely OCD. I began with leveling up my understanding of my emotions and standing up for myself at work, and to my wife and in laws, unfortunately with all the information I've learned in such little time and the stress and bullying I've experienced at work and home has now lead me to a divorce as I write this, and I am now living in my car. But I wouldn't change any of my choices for anything. Coming to a deeper understanding of myself is helping me love myself more and more. I scored a 38 on the AQ test, not mention PTSD, OCD, or ADHD (if that still counts) that I've lived with and believed was the only issue all this time. I always wondered why I couldn't tell cohesive stories or speak succinctly. Or why I abhor small talk or never understood innuendos or jokes. I am so grateful right now despite the Florida heat and rain I won't let this be the end of me. Now I know my devil's name.

[christiantaylor]

Though rare, panic attacks can last over 12 hours if you don’t know your trigger or can’t escape your situation. This is especially the case with Panic Disorder (where the person has no trigger and the body sends them into fight/flight anyway). It seem like you were referencing General Anxiety Disorder and I just wanted to clarify that.

I think Autistic meltdowns can also last a lot longer than 30 minutes, depending on age and level of functioning (in our neurotypical world).

Also you gave some really great distinctions between the two! :3 I had no idea what classifies a meltdown, and assumed they were just very similar to panic attacks. Good job!

[aleisterlwhite]

this is so eye opening. I’ve been diagnosed with anxiety almost my whole life. I got diagnosed with autism earlier this year at 34 and looking back I can see that most of my “panic attacks” were actually meltdowns.

[JaneTheMessage]

I was diagnosed with a panic disorder a long time ago (and got my ASD diagnosis finally this past December). I've since seriously questioned what my panic attacks really ARE. I've had them as long as I can remember, and the first evidence I have of one is a video of me at about age 4 or 5. I seem to have panic attacks and meltdowns simultaneously. My current thinking on it is that it feels like the meltdown state is so distressing that it triggers a panic response. It's bizarre because I don't intellectually think I am in danger. I know that I'm overwhelmed because I could feel the point where I realize that I'm going to hit my limit and not be able to avoid it, and as that point hits, I panic. Maybe I hyperventilate because of how upsetting and confusing the disoriented mental state of my meltdowns is? In action it looks like crying hysterically while hyperventilating.

I also, generally, rarely express anger and doing so causes me great anxiety, so that might be why this is my pattern.

Just wanted to chime in since my experience maybe is helpful to mention.

[tokyoqueen]

As a person with autism I tend to have autistic meltdowns a lot due to stress or overwhelming feelings, thank you so much for explaining this! Many people don’t understand about why people tend to have Meltdowns. Most people think I have meltdowns for attention which I never would do. Everytime I’m scared or nervous I tend to start to have a meltdown, I began shaking and crying and if it gets worse I tend to scream and rock back and forth, repeating words and tending to hit myself sometimes too..

[KngErs]

I’m telling my doc I think I could be on the spectrum today and this helped me realize how many of my “panic attacks” where potentially meltdowns tysm :)

[DaDez]

I used to have Meltdowns in my old job at factory when operating machiene and the content coming out wrong, it didn't help with people laughing at me and even getting angry. I wanted to walk away and 'recharge' and calm down but could only carry on and put a brave face on otherwise everyone would have patronised me or maybe even put me on the 'hit list', since the factory didn't ever think of disability or mental health, it was ultimately survival of the fittest, it was a traumatising experience.