I started having cognitive issues today, especially with attention. I have to read a paragraph multiple times to pay attention enough to understand it. I am a writer, but I'm having a hard time finding the right words. I'm having a hard time now explaining this problem.

But I've also started a new diet, in an attempt to lose my zyprexa weight. For the past 3 days, I've eaten between 1000-1300 calories per day. Pre-diet I ate 2,000+ cal/day. I've also started exercising; I've started a new job that is a 40 min walk away from my apartment. I don't have a car.

Am I trying to change my energy intake too drastically too quickly? Have any of you experienced confusion and attention problems when starting a new diet?

My other guess is that this may be from mania. I've had other manic symptoms the past few days of sufficient severity to cause cognitive impairment. Today, I had several clear hallucinations (such as hearing music and seeing my boss's dead dog at my workplace). So it's possible that the mania is causing the problems with focusing. But maybe the hallucinations are caused by the diet too?