I'm the same person, just stable on the meds and not out of my mind so I'm able to actually function and have a normal/happy life the way I was before the mental illness started. I'm sure meds have had some cognitive effects though, my short term memory is horrendous now and I'm only 25. Also, I don't know if any damage was done to my brain when I was in the ICU with severe Lithium toxicity for 8 days and had seizures and kidney failure. I don't have my medical records from then and don't remember much of what happened. I've read that it can cause brain damage in severe cases. I'm sure it had some kind of lasting effects, nothing major though thankfully.