ACR X DSCNT TO OCCUPIED ALT HAD LTSS FROM ACR Y. SYS ERROR.

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I RETURNED TO SECTOR FROM BREAK. SECTOR WAS MUCH TOO BUSY. I PLUGGED INTO D SIDE; CALLED ZOB AIR HI SECTOR AND MGW LOW SECTOR; AND ASKED THEM TO HOLD THE REST OF THE INBOUND TFC UNTIL WE GOT THINGS WORKED OUT. JUST AFTER THAT THE 'R' CTLR DSNDED ACR X THROUGH ACR Y. BOTH ACFT ON VECTORS MULTIPLE DATA BLOCK OVERLAPS. IT NOW SEEMS TO BE POLICY TO STAFF TO 1 MAN SECTORS BUT WORKLOAD CHANGES FASTER THAN HELP CAN BECOME AVAILABLE. SUPPLEMENTAL INFO FROM ACN 251805: I WAS WORKING AN ARR SECTOR THAT FEEDS IAD Z. IAD Z HAD REQUESTED 20 MI IN TRAIL TO DCA. I HAD 5 ACFT TO DCA STRUNG OUT BUT THE FIRST 3 WERE ONLY SEPARATED BY 10 MI. I TOOK THE SECOND ACFT; ACR X AT 16000 FT; AND GAVE HIM A 360 DEG TURN. I THEN WAS VECTORING BEHIND THE FIRST ARR TO GET 20 MI IN TRAIL. WHILE ALL THIS WAS HAPPENING; I HAD 3 MORE ARRS TO BWI THAT WERE DEVIATING FOR WX. 3 MORE PROPS INBOUND TO DULLES. AN OVERFLT LNDG MDT. A DEP CLBING INTO ALL THE OTHER TFC. BUT MY MAIN CONCERN IS I DIDN'T HAVE ANY HELP! MY SUPVR; PRIOR TO THIS HAPPENING; HAD SAID THAT I NEEDED HELP. HE NEVER DID ANYTHING ABOUT IT. ONLY WHEN I STARTED SHOUTING 'THIS ISN'T WORKING' DID HE START TO TRY AND GET ME SOME HELP. IT WAS WAY TOO LATE. ACR X WAS HDG 270 DEGS AWAY FROM THE ARR FIX AND THE ACR Y JET WAS BEING VECTORED BACK ON COURSE TO BE #2 IN THE SEQUENCE. ACR X WAS DSNDED TO 15000 FT; CONFLICT ALERT ACTIVATED BUT BY THE TIME I SAW IT; SEPARATION WAS LOST (APPROX 3.5 MI; 500 FT).