A young nurse transfers from the Internal Medicine Department to Neuropsychiatry at the recommendation of her supervisor.  But she soon finds that the skills she has used in her career up until now are only a small piece of the things she will need to know to succeed in her new position.  And the more she sympathesizes with her patients, the harder time she has keeping a healthy balance between work and her own private life.  While she has always taken pride in her devotion to her patients and her personal involvement in their struggles, she will discover that this kind of attitude can put her own mental health at risk.  

Yeon Woo Jin as Dong Go Yoon

Dong Go Yoon is a proctocologist who suffers from OCD, which causes him to uncontrollably crack his knuckles.  But no matter how many times he consults the doctors in the Neuropsychiatry Deparment, they seem unable to help him.  On one such trip, he meets a new nurse who is charming and kindhearted.  And when he learns that she is the best friend of Go Yoon’s friend Yu Chan, he is thrilled with the chance to meet her outside of the hospital.  Go Yoon quickly falls for Da Eun, which makes him the first person to notice that something seems off with her after Kim Seo Wan’s death.  And when her mental health takes a drastically dangerous turn, he steps in to get her the help she needs, even if he has to keep his distance while she gets it.  

Dong Go Yoon is a skilled doctor with a quirky personality.  He struggles with his own mental health issues, which makes him sympathetic and also helps him notice Da Eun’s unusual behavior before everyone else.  He is also very respectful of Da Eun when she tells him that she needs some time to deal with her own problems before she can start any kind of relationship with him, even though the distance feels unbearable for him.  Yeon Woo Jin is a great actor and I liked him in this role.  He is funny and relatable at the same time.  But I do wish we had seen more character development for him.  I feel like there was a lot more he could have offered in this role, given the chance.  

Lee Jung Eun as Song Hyo Shin

Song Hyo Shin is the Chief Nurse in the Neuropsychiatry Department.  She is fair and fiercely protective of her staff.  She became a nurse because she grew up with a sister who suffered from schizoprenia.  She supports Da Eun through her treatment and encourages her to come back to work once she is released.

 ♥ Mental Health Issues

Mental Health is something that many South Koreans are hesitant to talk about.  Not only does this drama focus on the subject, but it also adresses the many stigma that those suffering from mental health issues face.  These kinds of dramas that can entertain while also educating are so valuable in broaching the topic and presenting fresh persperctives on the problems that exist.  I applaud this drama for its blunt honesty and the fact that it refused to candycoat such a sensitive matter.  

 ♥ Visual Perspective

I found the visual portrayal of some of these mental health issues to be fascinating.  Not only did this drama explain the symptoms and feelings of some of these condition, but it gave us a picture of what those feelings can be like from inside the mind of someone struggling with them.  From Yu Chan’s rising waters to Seo Wan’s fantasy kingdom, the striking visualizations gave these issues a whole new dimension.  

Deul Re and Yeo Hwan

I had a couple issues with Deul Re and her storylines.  First of all, I felt like she and Yeo Hwan had more relationship development than the leads did.  Which is fine, and understandable since Da Eun spent the last bit of the series hospitalized.  But I wish they had spent more of that time focuses on the lead couple.  Also, Deul Re’s backstory was interesting, but it was the only part of the series that didn’t deal with mental health.  It felt like this plot belonged in a totally different drama.  I liked her as a character, but I didn’t feel like her character fit into the theme of the drama at all.  

Easy Endings

While I appreciated this look into mental health issues, it did feel a bit like every case ended a little too easy and kind of the same.  There seemed to be a message that, with the exception of Seo Wan, if you just take your medication and have one heart to heart with your doctor or family member, everything will magically be alright.  There seemed to be a lot of care that went into creating interesting characters with relatable mental health issues.  But some of the ending seemed too neat and simplified. 

“Daily Dose of Sunshine” gives us happy ending for our hospital crew.  Hyo Shin and her sister are finally able to move into their new apartment after introducing themselves to the residents.  Deul Re decides to quit nursing and go on a year-long cruise job.  When she starts to get cold feet, Dr. Hwang encourages her to go.  Yu Chan finally gets a new office job.  And although he is haunted by panic attacks in the beginning, he soon decides to do the job on his own terms.  That means not taking on every task someone else doesn’t want to do and always going home on time.  And eventually, his co-workers learned to respect those boundaries.  With Hyo Shin’s passionate defense of Da Eun and her work, things go back to normal for Nurse Da Eun.  And she and Go Yoon are doing things like early morning walks together to help Da Eun stay healthy.  Both Yu Chan and Da Eun’s mom have accepting the two as a couple, so their future is looking like it might actually be full of sunshine.  The final scene shows Nurse Seung Jae back again.  It seems he finally has his panic attacks under control too and he is thrilled to be back at work thanks to Da Eun’s help.