After a manic episode do people with bipolar seem to exhibit long term personality changes?

Question

After a manic episode do people with bipolar seem to exhibit long term personality changes?

Answer 1

No, not usually.  Short term maybe.

Answer 2

For me personally, YES.  At least with the first MANIC trip from h**l. It was so devastating to my psyche that it literally took years to return to a semblance of my former personality and way of thinking/looking at the world. Those years were very confusing and scary since my whole base of reference was skewed from the manic trip and the resulting fallout. The meds slowly pulled me back together. They, in effect, gave my brain time to convalesce and rewire itself. I know. So dramatic. But that is how it FELT in hindsight. That manic trip felt like it scrambled my brain and I flat out went into "TILT" mode. It was like I experienced Post Traumatic Stress Syndrome from that manic trip...  And to think people actually set out to fry their brains with drugs for recreation. Go figure!

Since then, the meds have kept any swings to a "normal"  level. I do still see my personality change somewhat depending where I'm at on the mood spectrum but its more like a facet of me and not like becoming someone that is alien to me.

Clear as mud, huh?