I guess the best thing is to take her to Dr. If she doesn't want to go, tell her you are concerned for her health. Tell her how you have faith in that she can get better. Remind of what life is about and don't give up on her. She has the potential to get better and she just needs confidence. The key word is to listen without making assumptions. A doctor can help best with this. Good luck.

It is always difficult to give advice to a friend of a friend of a friend.


Thus we can only talk in terms of generalities.


I would guess that your friend suffers from endogenous depression and that there may even be a gene running in the family that predisposes them to be depressed.


Most doctors would treat that with drugs, but because I believe that drugs can only treat symptoms not causes, I am more interested in treating the underlying causes without recourse to drugs.


Most people with depression are found to be hypoglycemic - a nutritional disorder - that can be treated by adopting the hypoglycemic diet.


This can be tested with a special medical test for hypoglycemia as described at our web site. Search our web site for “testing for hypoglycemia...”.


The best is to contact a complementary doctor familiar with nutritional medicine or perhaps a nutritionist or holistic counsellor.


Thus all I can say at this stage that she is probably hypoglycemic and that going on a hypoglycemic diet will stabilize her mood swings. Later on she may benefit from some psychotherapy.


Jurriaan plesman, ba(psych), post grad. Dip. Clin. Nutr.