When my clients mention they have panic attacks, I always ask what they mean and how they experience them. More often than you'd think, they go on to describe something closer to an autistic shutdown.

Since this happens so often, let's talk about the difference. (1/11)

Autistic shutdowns are neurological events that happen when autistic folks are overwhelmed.

They happen when the amount of things we need to process (including sensory, social, emotional, or cognitive info) is much bigger than the amount we can process. (2/11)

Signs of a shutdown:

• Slower processing speed, feeling spaced out or dissociated
• Less access to basic skills
• More rigid movement, speaking, thinking
• Becoming less verbal or non-verbal
• Losing the ability to respond to communication
• Isolating or curling up (3/11)

When I'm shutting down, the first thing that I notice is my thoughts feeling like they're pushing through molasses. Processing anything is slow, and I feel like I'm falling away from myself.

Usually, I sit very still and am limited to short responses. (4/11)

My partner describes her shutdowns as falling down a well away from her cognitive functions.

From the outside I can see her becoming more rigid, getting stuck on words more, and slowing down. If the shutdown goes on for too long, she can go catatonic. (5/11)

Panic attacks are similarly internal experiences that happen when worries and fear overwhelm us.

Panic attacks usually come on quickly or are triggered by an immediate stressor, and they often involve a physiological fear response (i.e., hyperarousal). (6/11)

Signs of a panic attack:

• Increased heart rate
• Increased breathing speed
• Shaking, trembling, or crying
• Head spinning, possibly with dizziness
• Physical symptoms like tight muscles or chest pain
• Stream of consciousness communication (7/11)

Panic attacks are rare for me, but they feel filled with frantic energy. My mind feels like it spins out of control.

My processing speed gets faster, even as my ability to think clearly or logically reduces, and I usually breakdown ugly-crying as I hyperventilate. (8/11)

Shutdowns and panic attacks are similarly internal experiences, and they're both brought on by internal or external stress.

They both respond well to reduced demands, supportive communication, and time to collect ourselves. (9/11)

Shutdowns and panic differ considerably in their impacts on our ability to function or respond to our environment.

Where people who are panicking are told to 'calm down,' people who are shutting down are often told to stop playing possum. (Don't do either of those) (10/11)

Panic attacks can lead to shutdowns, and meltdowns can lead to panic attacks in autistic folks.

Both shutdowns and panic attacks are physically exhausting events and usually require a fair amount of recovery time afterward. (11/11)

Looking for the unrolled thread. Here's the link :) https://docs.google.com/document/d/1njLRUj8xDPcFEonv2QcH0GTjZM9Q5eBLtR1ZcpeKv7I/edit?usp=sharing