I am new here and BP I, so Hi, everyone. There have been studies showing progressive cognitive decline in BP people related to the number of episodes (I believe). I don't recall how many I looked at that followed subjects who were and weren't medicated, though, but I just searched on the net. I have been taking Lithium, Seroquel, and Lamictal for 6 years - since my last psychotic mania, and like most others have been on tons of meds since I was first diagnosed as a teen (almost 30 yrs ago, yikes!). Since my last manic episode I've been pretty stable and able to work full-time.
I definitely feel "dumber" than before my first manic episode. I feel I was sharper/more creative and my memory is worse. I know many creative people don't stay on Li because they say their creativity is blunted, but my episodes are so awful that I don't care about that.
So, I guess my point is that I've had some of these problems but I also don't know if it's the "chicken" or the "egg." But I still suffer depression and am sometimes suicidal, which is the main reason I wanted to join this community. And I also have used a lot of strategies to stay functioning for work, etc. so I hope maybe I can help someone else here.