Hello to all, and I'd like to thank everyone who offers advice in advance. I'm 18 and have have been going out with my girlfriend for around 4 months, but we've had history dating for the last year. Recently she told me that she is severely depressed. She has tried cutting herself once before and the image of it makes me truly ill, miserable and cold inside. She is the love of my life and I really don't know how to help her. She is adopted, and her foster father died two years back. She feels insecure about her appearance, friendships and accomplishments. She drinks too much on nights out and always breaks into tears. She has promised to quit drinking for the unforeseen future but I fear that depriving her of her only form of escapism will do more bad than good. We're in different colleges so I don't get to see her as much as I'd like to. She has told me that she goes through perpetual stints of over whelming sadness and that she doesn't feel that she deserves to be happy. I feel like she isn't telling me the full extent of her depression in fear of making me worried or upset, or even of me breaking up with her which would never happen. She says she loves me and I try my best to occupy the time we spend together with novel activities like making dinner, concerts or taking a walk up the mountains but whenever I leave her by herself melancholy consumes her again. She is truly beautiful and no matter what I say she brushes it off and doesn't take it to heart. The only other person who knows about her condition is her mum. She made me promise not to mention her condition to anyone and I'm finding it so difficult to handle alone. I need advice because although she assures me otherwise, I'm terrified in case she attempts self harm again. She was on medication before and is now off it, and I don't think being there for her is enough. I know visiting a doctor is essential but what can I do to help?