>The flip side of all that energy and intelligence - the sadness, melancholia and loss of self during a down phase.

On that other side, the positive side, is there a self?

>Another feature about this guy is his low threshold of boredom. He'll pick up on a task and work frantically at it, accomplishing wonders in a short time and then get bored and drop it before its properly finished.

Working frantically at a task doesn't sound like self-realization.