SusanM:

Yes Messy, going into college before she is ready could hurt her. If she isn't at a place where she can dedicate herself to school then all enrolling is going to do is load her transcript with bad grades. Possibly load her up with a hefty amount of student loans too. Nobody needs to be enrolling in school because somebody else thinks that is a good idea.

I have to agree with this. I went straight from high school to college at 18, while I was also suffering from undiagnosed depression. My transcript is indeed loaded with bad grades, including a couple classes I flunked when I couldn't muster the energy to get out of bed. If I had it do over again, I would wish to have the courage that the LW has to face her mental illness, and put off college for a year or so while getting treatment.

I do agree that the LW will soon need to figure out a way to support herself. Perhaps her best path is to work and/or go to school part-time for a set time while aggressively treating her illness. (And I don't mean just meds.) After she has a better handle on her illness, she'll be able to get so much more out of college, and life after college.