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It's possible that your girlfriend has doubts about her own mind. That is, having close relatives diagnosed makes one wonder whether they too might be suceptible or suffering from some kind of mental illness. When your blood relatives are diagnosed you wonder about your own sanity - just like the family and friends of cancer patients are extra vigilant in checking for lumps under their skin.
When you see mental illness in people close to you, you wonder what presence of mind you'd have in their shoes. You stubbornly like to believe that YOU would have the willpower to get through it without medication but deep down you know that if you were truly ill, such stubborness would only cause suffering for yourself and others.
Your girlfriend should hope and pray that she ISN'T suffering from clinical depression. It's natural for her to think about depression though - to empathise with her mom and sisters. The best thing she can do is read the literature, understand depression from a rational and clinical perspective.
I believe there are ways to help yourself if you are still healthy but nevertheless at risk. Physical fitness and mental fitness go hand in hand. Feeling GOOD by running laps or lifitng weights can stave off depression as well as heart disease...but if you are already ill you need to do what you would do if you were physically ill - see a doctor.
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