I believe it does get worse, not merely because of observation, but due to the research I've been doing to try to find a way to cope. It's been beneficial so far, learning what I have, so I think I'll share it since it might help others prioritize how they manage their bipolar.

Any person placed under enough stress will develop cognitive deficits. When such stressors are unavoidable the physiological response to those stressors are unavoidable. That this is the case often results in additional psychological stress, which can be embodied in terms such as "catastrophizing".

Chronic acute stress leads to a sustained elevation of stress hormones which leads to neuronal cell death and prevents nuerogenesis in the regions of the brain which "[play] important roles in the consolidation of information from short-term memory to long-term memory and spatial navigation." This leads to difficulty learning new information as well as accessing and applying existing knowledge - this affects how well someone is able to contrive methods to cope with stress. Sleep deprivation can also prevent neurogensis from taking place (it is important to get sleep!).

Another result of chronic stress, at least in bipolar (not the best memory late at night), is the release of a protein, Kiinase C, which can damage the dendrites of neurons. This can lead to deficits in working memory. Such a deficit, again, impacts one's ability to function and thereby respond appropriately to stress.

While such mechanisms might've played important roles throughout humanities evolution we now exist in a society which places much greater stress upon individuals. Our environment has changed faster than our ability to physiologically adapt to it. For people susceptible to stress this presents difficulties (an understatement ofc).

With the variety of cognitive deficits impacting our ability to cope in a high-stress environment our ability to effectively cope is more easily compromised. In addition to the brains physiological responses to stress we have bipolar to deal with. As cognitive deficits increase as a result of chronic stress our stability is further impacted, which leads to more stress, and it gets out of control quite fast, often before we can catch it let alone devise a means to cope with it. A firestorm develops and medication is used to quench the immolation of our mind.

Funny thing about these medications, they have side effects. I've quite recently learned that Benzodiapines are highly addictive: one can develop tolerance to them, dependance, and then withdrawal symptoms. Symptom doesn't quite describe my experience though. I've been coping, barely, with bipolar II for eighteen years and thought I was going totally and completely insane when I was experiencing interdose withdrawal 'symptoms' from Temazepam. That I thought I was going crazy - the reasons and experiences I had - created additional stress and the thing about Benzo withdrawal is that stress is amplified by it. During Benzo withdrawal one can experience a variety of cognitive deficits arising from the Benzos themself, and then also from the withdrawal, on top of which the imbalance between inhibitory and excititory neurotransmitters can lead to excitotoxity which eats away at neurons and can lead to neuronal cell death. Brain damage. Well, more brain damage as the nature of Benzo dependance could be defined as brain damage, although that is, I believe, not a technically accurate description as the neurological changes to GABA receptors that Benzos cause can be recovered from, slowly, painfully, or sometimes without any problem whatsoever (it depends on the individual - side note, never cold turkey Benzodiapines, NEVER!).

So, we people with Bipolar have a lot of stress to cope with. Not just due how bipolar affects our chemical balance but due to the outcomes in life which affect how much stress we have and how we can cope with that stress.

Stuff I do to cope:

Sleep. Exercise. Diet.
One can find a lot of good advise on all of these searching this forum - some of my own post history directly addresses these topics in a condensed form, much like this post.

Therapy.
Personally I haven't found a therapist that works for me yet, but I have spent a lot of time trying to understand my own mind and why it is the way it is. I'd say concurrently engaging in both approaches would be ideal, but it depends a lot on personal interest in philosophy, psychology, and cognitive science.

Alternative Medicine.
I'm not a fan of it, but if it's been studied and shown to have some efficacy I consider it. Sorting through papers on pubmed isn't easy, and figuring out enough to comprehend the basics of what those articles actually mean has taken months of slow learning. So far what I have investigated and found worthy of serious consideration is Withania Semnifera, L-Theanine, and L-Taurine.

It should be noted that there are many substances I have not looked into yet. I have been looking for substances relevant to my own current needs.

Withania Semnifera is from Indian Medicine. It's more like a general wellness drug that anyone can take and improve their health with than a specific treatment. However, it is specifically associated with helping alleviate stress. It's been well studied - at least, well enough for me to consider it and add it to my own treatment - although my pdoc said he hadn't heard of it when I asked if he had, so investigate for yourselves.

L-Theanine is found in Green Tea, but as a supplement it can be effective in helping reduce stress by improving focus, promoting a sense of mindfulness and calm. It can help with Benzo withdrawal, which is why I bothered with it.

L-Taurine is the most abundant protein in the human body. However, in high dosages (a dosage above the normal dietary intake and production of Taurine within the body) it can promote relaxation. Its action, as it seems to be so far understood by what I have read, is similar to Benzos and should not, in my inexperienced opinion, be taken in conjunction with Benzodiapines. It may, or may not, help with Benzo withdrawal; it may or may not make recovery from Benzo dependance more difficult. It's a question to ask your pdoc and a decision one should make for themself after careful consideration. However, if you're not on a Benzodiapine it could serve as an effective means to reduce stress every now and then. One of those nights you know you need to go to sleep and know you're going to have trouble doing so. Do not use Taurine supplements with caffeine.

Keep your mind engaged.
No matter how poor my working memory was I still tried to read something, think something, do something. Even while severely depressed I still tried because I knew that that brains plasticity will adapt to its environment. It's a muscle that will atrophy when not properly exercised and even the tiniest effort will mitigate how difficult it is to recover. Besides which, hey, I now know stuff!

Meditation.
If ones mind is without thought, then one cannot think psychologically distressing thoughts. It takes a lot of practice, but it can help with calming down. Start by taking a deep breath. Take another. Another. Breath deeply and slowly and be at rest - still your mind. Let your thoughts fade from one to the other, to another, again. Slow, deep, breaths.

It's a lot of information, but that's how I'm currently able to cope and after several months of depression, rapid cycling, psychological distress, withdrawal, and constant suicidal ideation I finally experienced something spectacular - life didn't completely suck. Progress!