Wow, interesting question! I was just having this conversation with my CBT therapist the other day!

I think I'm still intelligent but I don't feel as sharp as I used to feel. Early in my treatment, I'd forget to pay bills and such but I'm getting better. Overall, I get frustrated now and then because my mind isn't as clear as it used to be. In a lot of ways, I think *being bipolar* takes its toll on the mind......what I mean is this - when I *think* about the fact that I'm BP, it sort of wears me down like a self-fulfilling prophecy. It is a conundrum - do we blame BP and accept it or do we fight our way through it and look for another avenue?