Yup, I have a notebook and a pen always with me these days. I write down conversations I've had with people and other events that happened to me. I've had electroshock therapy and I lost a lot of memory and having cognitive impairment too. I also find myself not able to express myself when I talk. I forget certain words and it's hard and I feel frustrated and flustered. Hopefully everything will improve as they say it will.

YES!!! I am esp. having problems focusing and I have 2 makeup exams that I am pushing back *every single day* b/c I can only focus so much each day to study.

And no one can tell me how to improve this. It has already gotten better b/c I have gotten better, but it is still really bad.

Sometimes I don't even feel like going on b/c of it b/c academics and getting into a good career were so much a part of my life.

I have had the same problems, I'm now at the end of a semester w/ 2 failed courses and the school is just starting to realize I needed help. I'm on, well I was on, lithium and ciprolex and seroquil... I pulled myself off (not the brightest idea). It's been difficult getting anyone to help me... even now I've really screwed up. How are you coping w/ it? I just feel like there's no way around it and I haven't noticed an improvement since I pulled myself off my medication either.

i didn't know that they are still doing ECT this days. I thought i was the only one suffering from memory probs. *sigh*

however we just need to deal with it.because the more u mope about it, the more depress you feel. as ive said there are strategies that can help us. Such as using tools that can help us organize our life and out thoughts. Sometimes i felt abnormal really.Like, "why am i writing this down? oothers can just rely on there memory, and here i am, writing everything. But it is a fact that i helps. So noone can point a finger to me and say , "Don't do that, why are u wrtitng, can u not use ur brain?" I dont have to feel inadequate because i believe that this ain't a weakness. This disease is given.

about reply 18, Love abours lost--- hey i really think that you should go to the doctor. And let her evaluate you.If the doc give you medicines, take it. Thats what im doing, just drinking medications, i dont skip.i'm not saying that im perfectly fine. But i just also have to deal with the pathophysiology of depression. We need serotonin!

I use post a notes, pocket size note book and reg size note book and I record everything thats impotant and I keep scratch pad on my desk and nightstand.I also have grocery list pad on ft of refg. and a writen daily activity schedule and a med chart.
Thank God my friends and most people dont mind my calling them handsome or buddy. Sorry I just cant bring myself to refer to everyone as honey as like waitress do.

I lose things. I forget and my thoughts are disorganized. They go off into tangents and then I forget what I was thinking about, and then when I remember what I was thinking about I forget what the tangents were. When I read a paragraph from the newspaper, I come to the end of it wondering what I just read. I read it over and over again wondering and wondering. When it finally starts to rev and hum I notice words I recognize but forgot their meaning (this even happens with my childrens' books), but do get a general idea; I keep reading , getting a shadow of the picture only to have my mind trail off a some point and two thirds of the way through I have to stop myself and go back to find what I remember last. This morning I just gave up. My pdoc says to read the paper in the morning and part of a book at night, but it's all I can do, really. I was going pretty strong on that for a while, but lately I've stopped, especially since she up'd my Zonegran.

I HAVE THE EXACT SAME PROBLEM AND IT'S VERY FRUSTRATING. IT MAY TAKE ME 10 MINUTES TO REMEMBER THE WORD I'M LOOKING FOR. IT DRIVES ME CRAZY TOO.

Inabitlity to remember verbal content is a very typical part of bipolar 1&2. A notebook for important things is an excellent idea (I did this when I was training as a hairdresser and it got me to 2nd place in 3rd year apprentices in our whole country!) and as bipolar minds recognise and use rhythms easily and rhymes, add these or tunes to the things you need to remember long term. And try not to get frustrated...it is just another part of what we all have to deal with!!

thanks. i didn't know that a lot of BPs are feeling the same way.

i'm still having little memory gaps but whenever i get frustrated i just brushed myself of because i know that i am still in control and i will make better strategies next time.

Just this morning I forgot the dog was in the backyard, and it started to rain. About 20 minutes later, when the rain was starting to taper off I remembered her. I felt so BAD for leaving her out in the rain.

I see some people saying Lamictal causes memory issues as a side effect. I do hope I don't have that one 'cause my memory is bad enough already. I had to call the clinic this morning to find out what time my appt with the therapist was, I had lost the reminder slip.

yes yes yes. I feel like I have a brick wrapped in a sock in my skull.
And it's an especially dumb brick.

I get the same thing hun. I thought it was just me and that I was loosing my mind. Its like right now I cant relax so haven't slept its like 6am now, I dont understand I did a 2 hour swimming session from 7:30pm-9:30pm and I thought that was going to tire me out. How wrong was I??? Plus the memory thing I get that a lot, like this morning I thought I had an intruder (or as I thought at the time I had the borrowers in Lol). And I dont drink coffee, or anything with caffeine. Anyone got any tips?

ditto, i have lots of memory problems