and my cousin is out of the hospital

[hunter]

2. I think people know my story. I was "asked" to leave university twice.

It took me nine years to graduate.

I think those were somewhat simpler times. School was inexpensive compared to now and physical jobs like loading trucks or refurbishing sub-standard student housing paid fairly well. I never had to take out any student loans.

I'm "lucky," if you can call it that, that my most wretched OCD kicks in before the suicidal thoughts. If I'm dead, how can I do the stuff I need to do? Like running nowhere in the middle of the night. (That's how I destroyed my knees and hips, and I can't tolerate ibuprofen anymore, opiates make me sick, so mostly I hurt.)

My worst place I was living in my broken car in a church parking lot. Good people pulled me out of that. A past professor got me back into school again, long after any sensible person would have written me off as hopeless. I went on to graduate.

Meds got much better too and the stigma of mental health issues decreased. When I began this journey it was all hush-hush hidden. The school dean gave me a choice, take a leave of absence for vaguely documented reasons or we'll have to expel you and you won't be coming back.

Guess I was lucky, but people stood with me past the first and second leave.

I hope your cousin has similar support and that someday she finds some sort of stability in her life.

Stand by her as much as you are able.