Behind the scenes at an advice column, you'd be surprised how many medical questions come through. Some of them are mundane, like whether or not to use chocolate syrup as a sexual lubricant (you shouldn't) and some of them are a lot more serious. While we here at Ask Bloggy are dedicated to providing our readers with good, anonymous support, none of us are trained physicians and we don't exactly have one on retainer. So, for the most part, we won't be answering serious medical questions. Those questions we answer that have some kind of medical component to them will all get similar responses: Consult a doctor. A real one. If you're not sure about the advice the first one gives you, get a second opinion from another real doctor.

My girlfriend has been acting really weird for the past couple weeks. She used to be really active and she never flaked out about her job or school. I recently found out that she's been staying home from class a lot. Whenever I ask about that, or other stuff, she just tells me that she's tired. When I (gently) suggested that maybe she has depression, she got upset. She's got some major hang-ups about taking pills for stuff like that. She says she doesn't want to be "numb" all the time. So, my question is, does she need to be on medication for this? If so, how do I convince her?

Nate

Well, Nate, there are a lot of things you have to consider before you become a pharmaceuticals rep. First, don't jump to so many conclusions about your girlfriend's health. From what I could gather, you're both college students. When a college student gets bouts of heavy fatigue all of a sudden, depression isn't the first thing that jumps to my mind. What does is mononucleosis, aka mono, aka the kissing disease, aka an infection that is extremely common among college students (especially dorm dwellers), the primary symptom of which is acute fatigue.

Then again, your girlfriend might very well be suffering from the early stages of chemical depression. Since all I got from your letter was that she's tired and has some "other stuff" going on, I can't be more certain. It's a good thing I don't need to be certain. Whether it's mono, depression, or something else entirely, the first step is the same. Your girlfriend needs to see a doctor. Tell her to drop by the student health center, your local urgent care, or whatever other options you have in your area. No matter what's ailing her, letting it go untreated is a very bad idea. Viral infections tend to grow into more nasty things without treatment and depression can seriously deepen.

If you happened to be prescient in this case and it actually is depression, it would be a lot better for your girlfriend if she got over her aversion to meds. It's a now-antiquated stereotype that mood stabilizers numb their users. Psychiatric medicine has come a long way in the past couple decades. There are a variety of medications out there to accommodate the unique internal chemistries of a variety of patients. For your girlfriend or for anyone on meds for emotional issues, if the pill makes you feel numb that's an indication that the dose needs to be adjusted or that a different medication would work better.

All the same, Nate, points to you for being a concerned boyfriend. And of course, if it is mono, you've more than likely been exposed. They don't call it "the kissing disease" for nothing.