Dottie and KCAB, I do think that many of the traits of gifted look like ADD or ever cause ADD. Certainly for DH I think they are inextricably linked. I would not have him without ADD because the ADD is a byproduct of all the really cool things his brain does. But the meds "take the edge off" and help him function when he has a lot of things going on. There is no doubt that in the years immediately following the birth of our child, he was starting to melt down and it was very scary to all of us. The issue in mental health is to figure out the point when at "trait" becomes a disorder that is interfering with day to day functioning. I'm not sure that happened to DH until he was 30.
kcab, DH and I have discussed meditation, and he agrees in theory. I actually have formally studies several forms of meditation and teach some relaxation. But he has never actually pursued it. And meditation is not something a wife can force her husband to do if he doesn't want to.
One more feature of DH's ADD which is very relavent to HG people is the ability to hyprefocus, to do one thing to the exclusion of all else. I am sure this ability helps him immensely in his work (and to a degree, in our relationship. When he pays attention to me, his full attention is on ME. I love that about him!). But when he is deep in hyperfocus and something breaks through his attention (like a phone ringing, a child asking to have his bottom wiped, a wife wondering when he'll be leaving for work in the morning), the interuption takes a ton of his energy and is almost physically painful for him. Again, the meds don't take the ability to hyperfocus away, but they take the edge off it and make the transition back to family life easier.
Pscyhiatrist says that probably DH has normal executive function in his brain (the part that keeps track of information, surroundings, details etc), but that the rest of his brain is way above normal and the executive function can't keep up. Like a jet engine on a Honda. Neither bad, just not suited to each otehr.
