Autistic Catatonia

[ezcare]

This is making me trying to revisit my shutdowns..to make sure that I really did maintain control. Hmmmm. But I've seen this in other people like the little girl I mentioned....where her control seemed to come and go without any queues. Very strange. Just not sure if there's really a connection with sleepwalking and autistic traits.

The human brain never fails to amaze me.

A few years ago I was under a lot of stress assisting my father who was my mother's caregiver. She was in the final stages of Alzheimer's at the time and it was a 2 hour drive from my home to theirs. I made the trip every Friday to help my father with paying bills and mail-order prescriptions. I was driving back home on the Turnpike. A trip I had made hundreds of times. It was evening and I was stressed and tired. I did not fall asleep but somehow drove right past my exit and did not realize it until I came to the next exit 10 miles down the road. This would not be unusual except I had no recollection of having passed my exit. It was like a Twilight Zone experience. I know I was "awake" because I was aware of the traffic around me. I just had no memory of having passed my exit even after I realized that I had gone 10 miles past it to the next exit. This did happen one other time under similiar stress circumstances. Am wondering if this could have been a mild instance of autistic Catatonia.

 

[wanderer03]

A few years ago I was under a lot of stress assisting my father who was my mother's caregiver. She was in the final stages of Alzheimer's at the time and it was a 2 hour drive from my home to theirs. I made the trip every Friday to help my father with paying bills and mail-order prescriptions. I was driving back home on the Turnpike. A trip I had made hundreds of times. It was evening and I was stressed and tired. I did not fall asleep but somehow drove right past my exit and did not realize it until I came to the next exit 10 miles down the road. This would not be unusual except I had no recollection of having passed my exit. It was like a Twilight Zone experience. I know I was "awake" because I was aware of the traffic around me. I just had no memory of having passed my exit even after I realized that I had gone 10 miles past it to the next exit. This did happen one other time under similiar stress circumstances. Am wondering if this could have been a mild instance of autistic Catatonia.

You experienced what truck drivers call a microsleep. It happens when you're driving along and have no recollection of what just passed you by.

 

[Nitro]

I went thru a narcoleptic event about 15 years ago where I would fall asleep when standing up and was advised to enter a sleep study by my PCP. I hit REM sleep consistently in under one minute in two independent studies.There was the first lab's consensus that I had sleep apnea as the cause of it. I wasn't satisfied with their results and sought another opinion. The second lab determined that it wasn't sleep apnea but also had no determining factor besides a case of trauma from a previous surgery I had. I still fall asleep instantly and now have determined that I always have.
I feel that it is due to my sensory overload from the amount of information that bombards my brain process every waking moment. Imho,I feel that it is all a part of me being on the autism spectrum and nothing more.

I can't say that I have ever entered a catatonic state where I was awake and aware of anything but unable to respond to outside influences,but also feel it was more to offer to the op as more to study

 

[Zarazai]

The only time that anything like a shutdown like that might have happened to me was somewhat recently, a few months ago. I asked a girl out and got rejected, but in a kinda cruel way. It hurt a lot and I kept myself together mentally until I got home, at which point I went up into my room, took the time to toss my stuff in my chair, shoes off, then I just straight up collapsed. Like, I couldn't even walk to my bed or anything, I just fell over. I don't know how much time passed with me in that state, but I think I pulled myself together enough to get up and start moving again. I was mostly aware of myself at the time, but I was focusing more on my mental world the the physical one.

 

[Kupu2]

I've had it when I was younger, but I now know it is related (in my case) to low blood sugar levels. It was scary, in that I could not control any body coordination. I could hear; I wanted to respond, but I could only drool involuntarily. Lasted what seemed an hour, but maybe two minutes or so... guessing really. It is only now I can name this experience.

 

[jfk]

Had this a couple of times in my life too, usually in response to extreme stressful events / periods of depression, felt quite like just parts of me shutting down like others have said. Quite upsetting really to go through it, having that brain fog. only ever lasted a day, nothing longer :-(

 

[watersprite]

Warmheart I have at times of intense stress experienced a brain fog so 'thick' that I could no longer think. I vaguely knew what the stress was about, but could not do or think anything. I feel nothing but do not lose control of body functions.

I am sorry this happens to you. I find it both embarassing and frightening.

Has the source of your stress been reduced or better yet, eliminated?

 

[Warmheart]

Kestrel what a gorgeous photo in your avatar!

My stress has been reduced for the most recent stressor, but this is typical in my whole life, off and on. It is due to my having both fragile, and reactive neurology.

I am sorry this sort of thing has also happened to you. Thank you for sharing this.

 

[tallcreativedude]

When I was recovering from my first bout of major depression, I got the sleep paralysis thing a few times. My eyes could open but I felt an electricity within my limbs that kept me from moving them. I could not feel anything except fear, and I was able to think about very basic stuff but nothing deep. At that time I had no idea I was an Aspie because I was covering it up with lots of drinking and partying.

 

[Ebu004]

I'm not sure if this is directly related but it happened two days ago and I'm quite upset at myself and my disorder for it, I keep mentally kicking myself...

I got invited to be an extra in a music video and was really excited. I got there later than everyone else so they only put me in one of the five scenes. I was disappointed but ready to nail the scene. All I had to do was wait for my cue (the word 'shoot') and run out with the group acting excited and using silly string setting off confetti poppers etc...we ran through practice about six times. During practice we did not actually set off the gadgets (throughout the video there were things setting on fire, balls being bounced, paint being dumped, and a color powder bomb right before the silly string and confetti poppers). I did great during practice. My boyfriend recorded the actual shoot from a distance and while watching through it, I could see myself.

For the actual shot, I ended up standing way further back than during practice probably because of all the excitement and me not wanting to be in the way. But when they said my cue word, they also set off the color powder bombs And instead of running out I just froze. Like an idiot. Staring at the colors. (Maybe this is the catatonia you are discussing??) And then realized and ran out way late. In the end, everyone threw their arms up and I'm there stupidly trying to figure out how to get the confetti popper to actually pop...

I'm embarrassed to the max. Really hoping it's not obvious in the actual video that there is a socially inept girl out there completely messing up her part
*face palm * face palm

 

[Kirsty]

I’ve not experienced this. I don’t want to scare you, but it sounds like it may well be an episode of catatonic schizophrenia.