by Ennui » Fri Jan 23, 2015 1:55 pm
Hi,
I can relate to the mental slowing that, like others have said, seems to be part of the disorder itself but can be brought about by other factors. I find it quite upsetting that I'm nowhere near as sharp as a few years ago.
Partly, I put this down to having an antipsychotic as part of my cocktail for over 2 years now, because of the sedation and its action on the brain. I think being less active (I've only been able to work part-time recently) is contributing, too.
Another thing is that I sometimes compare myself to when I was younger and not on meds, and I think the feeling of being switched on and being extremely productive may have been the influence of hypomania, actually. Compared to most others, I used to definitely be 'over the top' in terms of achievement, especially academically.
It's something I'm tolerating for now, as I need to take the Seroquel because of a recent mixed episode, but my hope is to get stable enough to only be on a mood stabiliser, as I was previously.
I'd recommend talking to your pdoc about it, and also building up to being as mentally active as possible.
It's certainly been difficult saying goodbye to aspects of my original thinking/behaviour through having my bipolar treated, but in my case, I have to recognise that being a little slowed down (as long as it's not too much!), is probably much more 'normal' than 'firing on all cylinders' as I mostly used to. Hope this helps x
'Un ennui...' (Mallarmé)
'Perseverance is power' (Japanese proverb)
'All the world's a stage,/And all the men and women merely players'
Diagnoses: Bipolar affective disorder, GAD
Medications: 800mg Tegretol XR, 5mg Zyprexa