Thanks for starting this thread-I've been thinking about this a lot too. Specifically, I've been thinking about the two and a half years I lost to what I now know was manic thoughts/beliefs. I also just had to start paying off student loans because I jumped the gun and started grad school when I was manic and was to embarrassed to quick once I realized what I had done. It was a really bad depressive episode that finally led to me withdrawing.

Sadly, I don't have an answer either. I do plan on talking with my pdoc about this this week so, if he shares any good strategies for this, I'll be sure to pass them along.