Intelligent

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?

Accepting BP is very different than blaming it. Everyone must fight, but that will look different depending on where you are at. Some will lose their lives but doesn't mean they didn't fight and instead blamed. New perspective is needed.

Intelligent in many things. But can bypass intelligence with weird decisions fueled by bipolar mania. ;-(

Great post! I think it depends on what end of the spectrum you are. For me, being closer to SZ than to normalcy, acceptance by seeing it as an integral/essential part of me and trying to integrate mania and depression further, is by far the best approach. Otherwise it will be (somewhat) like Pandora's (BP) Box: all evils, no hope.

Edit:
And our nature makes it likely for us to open that Box, over and over. Maybe less so or not for some.