That's Mental Illness, not myocardial infarction, except those are pretty common too.

One of my oldest, bestest friends, who actually completed half of her nursing after-degree and quit because she hated it, may very well be suffering from major depression. She's one of the most amazing people I know. When she feels like herself, she's funny, SO intelligent, adventurous, and free-spirited.

I spent an hour on the phone with her this afternoon talking about nothing much and then we started talking about her life and where she is with it.

She's not happy or remotely satisfied with her choices and she feels like she's 'running out of time' to pull her shit together. We're the same age. This same conversation has been happening for years. She's opposite of me - where I went globetrotting after high school, she went straight to university and took a degree in something that doesn't interest her, hoping she'd find herself. She still hasn't.

Anyway it started with a regular girlchat and morphed into me using my psych skills on her. She expressed fear and doubt about whether she was ever going to be happy and questioned the validity of seeking medical help. I told her in no uncertain terms that antidepressants and mood stabilizers were just one small piece of overall therapy. They would help her feel well enough to start seeking ways to get more from her life. They would provide the boost.

I then heard her out and repeated parts of her narrative back to her to really emphasize some of the self-defeating thoughts she was having. We then discussed how regular exercise might really help her feel better. I really promoted some of the AMAZING psych programs I've seen while I have been on my clinical rotations.

I finished the conversation with this:

I care about YOU. I could give a shit whether you stay in school for the rest of your life or never step foot in a classroom again. I don't care whether you go be a carpenter or a business executive or a drifter. All I have ever wanted is for you to be happy and it kills me that you haven't found that.

She agreed to seek help.

I still consider her a suicide risk if she doesn't get help soon. If there's nothing else in the world that I learn from nursing, I am grateful that I learned just enough to help my friend feel hope.

Mental health issues are everywhere, people. Don't sleep though your Psych classes.