please help my friend!

A close friend of mine suffers from Bipolar Disorder, and he refuses to see a psychologist. He is in extremely depressive mood all the time and frequently talks about suicide. This really frightens me because I don’t want to lose him. On the other hand, I’m not sure whether his suicidal intention is serious. When a manic-depressive talks about suicide, does he MEAN it? I desperately want to help my friend. I can’t see him suffering. I wish I could make him happy but I don’t know how. No matter how well his life goes, he is forever buried in his formidable despair. I feel helpless and inadequate every time upon listening his depressive thoughts. I hate myself for not being able to change my friend’s condition. So here I am seeking advice from you guys. My friend just told me that he thinks about suicide every waking second and that I “shouldn’t have any hope in him because he won’t be around much longer”. My god, I am so terribly worried about him. What can I do? Please help my friend!

You can't change your friend's condition, hon. All you can do is help to point him in the right direction to getting (professional) help. And to be there for him when you can. Let him know you care, which your obviously have done, from your post. But you can't cure him/his illness. And you are not in any way to blame for that fact.

Please take care, of you.

Fuzzy

I am not a doctor or therapist so I cant tell you what decision to make to help your friend. Where I live if you think someone is in danger of hurting themselves or others you can report it to police or 911 and they can meet with the person and get them immediate help. The hospital can then put them on a 3 day hold for observations and to help them get help. If someone would not have done this to me a few years ago I would not be here. They serously showed up at the door just in time.