Good Book

Just wanted to point out to any other struggling “gifted” folks out there: a commenter suggested the following book: Misdiagnosis And Dual Diagnoses Of Gifted Children And Adults (also at Amazon). The book is mainly aimed at parents of gifted kids, but can be very useful for adults in understanding themselves.

I’ve just started it, really, but it’s interesting even in what I found in the Table of Contents. I just about jumped when I saw there was a section on “Reactive Hypoglycemia” as related to people of high intelligence, as I suffer from this as well. How much about me is tied into this aspect of myself that I have largely ignored, or in certain respects even repressed?

If you’re not up for ordering a book, at the least I highly suggest checking out the organization SENG: Supporting Emotional Needs of the Gifted. Look at the articles on their web site. (It’s also listed in the “Resources” sidebar on the front page of this site.)

I think this is an important book, and there should be some teacher in any given school who is at least passingly familiar with this type of information. It’s unfortunate that the idea of “help for the gifted” strikes most people the same way as “welfare for the rich”: “Geniuses don’t need help. They’re geniuses! We’ve got more important things to worry about.” The problem is that many aspects of high intelligence manifest to “average” people as similar to mental illness (thus the old saw that “Madness is next to Genius”).

Earlier in this blog I mused that I may be somewhat autistic. No–not at all; but my intellect and mindset push me to pay far more attention to detail than anyone around me, to a point that must seem strange to most. My entire life I’ve also noted that I seem more “sensitive” to drugs — I’m not talking cocaine here; I’m talking aspirin. In college one time I needed to cram for a test, so I took some No-Doz. I was so wired from the regular dose that it was painful to have my eyes open. No sleep, AND no studying. If I take a drug for too long my body adjusts to it, thus certain allergy meds no longer have any effect for me. I can’t drink coffee because… well, I just can’t drink coffee. Add in the high sensitivity to anyone suggesting that I’m lying, and that type of thing. These are not aberrations — this type of thing is common for people who share the trait of high intelligence. I’ve barely even scratched the surface of the book.

Thank you to “She the Anomaly” for suggesting the book, and the SENG site, and… well, a lot of good info in general. Thank you.

[Note: This post was much expanded shortly after publication.]