Hello.  I am 53, a father of 4. 

I have seen it all and have experienced severe, chronicdepression over much of my life.  It is a disease which has origins.  It also has cures.

 

Suicidal depression. like your friend has, is extremely serious and must be handled by professionals.  It is not to be taken lightly.  Suicidal people have, what I see as, a revesal in their instinct to live.  It is an instinct for death and it is sought after.  If your friend doesn't get help these subconscious, and now conscious, forces can cause her to make fatal mistakes - entring traffic and dying - just because the brain and mind tells here to.  These drives have a way of fulfilling themselves.  It can take a stong will to resist them.

 

It may be a simple call for help.  It may be a serious brain disorder.

 

How these brain disorders occur are varied.  If you look up "epigenetics" on the net you'll find that lack of coddleing as a baby causes depression.  So can the experiences of grandparents, whether or not they suffered famine, for instance, change the way  your body will respond to their genetic code. 

I wont' get into too much detail but you have to know this science is very well developed and your friend may only be yielding to a predisposition for depression and can turn around with proper therapy.

 

My depression, and the cause of it, will not be discussed here except it was from tragic experiences in early childhood.  Just know that there is hope and she has to understand that DEPRESSION IS A LIE.  It is your brain telling you to feel bad.  That's all that it is.  It is a LIE and she must understand that there is no such reality.  It is to be ignored and fought like an enemy.  She must resist it and work against it.  Only then can her brain regain balance.  That is the key.

Remember.  Emotion is a part of the central nervous system.  It is not a reality in itself.  It is not tangible.   Your brain is presenting emotions to you to interpret and, like an optical illusion fools you into seeing things that aren't there, the brain can create irrational emotions.  Give into them and they are reinforced.  Reject them and they demnish.  Your friend must realize that she, not her brain, is ultimately in control.  It is tragically hard to do when depression makes her think emotionally and has a hard grip on her.  Just know that 1 out of 50 people in the US has chronic depression and over 5 million doses of antidepressants are taken every day.  She is not lost, only untreated.

 

Go to DailyStrengh.com and look for the category of Depression. You'll be able to spill our your soul and gain comfort for anything that ails you.