It'd be hard to know for sure, because so many things can affect it, you know? On the second, both options pondered are often linked, so that would be hard to sort out too.

For myself, there's been a lot of decline on memory and mental ability. For a couple of examples... 3 bills, 3 envelopes. Trying to figure out which belonged in which reduced me to tears, took forever. Stilll screwed up. Trying to make a simple meal can send me into a tailspin of confusion and overwhelm. And we're not even talking trying to follow a recipe.
Back in the day, I was very sharp and smart.

Now, ability to access it is totally hit and miss. Just yesterday, I read a fairly dense thing. A few hours later, I picked a pair of scissors (from my own desk, and that I use may, many times every day), held them up, asking BF, "Are these mine?"

I've had BP for over 30 years, the vast majority of which were undx'd and unmedicated, episodes were totally uncontrolled. My psych says we try to minimize cycling because each one causes damage. So many factors, so many years. I couldn't possibly sort out the culprits at this point.

Thanks so very much for this, cashart! There was something in there that clearly put into words something that I've been utterly unable to articulate. For something very important!