User blog comment:TAGDavid/Suicide Prevention Help/@comment-11372432-20150919112649

Listen to his problems and let him know someone cares. Really understand and don't treat it like it's stupid or petty. It's life or death to him, after all. If he still insists you can probably do some screen grabs and get his local emergency services involved by giving those to them.

Also, if he told you his plans, it means he wants someone to stop him, so he won't go through with it. Probably also to know if there really is someone who cares.

If he keeps threatening suicide however, I suggest you stop enabling him. I've had to deal with a guy who was like that, myself. Kept threatening to kill himself so others (usually me) would drop everything and do something about it. I told him off, stopped doing something, and he stopped, too. He did the same to others, as well. Emotional abuse is a thing, people, and this is one of the more common forms of it.

If this is his first time, then do try and help. Most people who attempt suicide only do so once and never try again. They get it out of their system. Of course, those are the ones that fail at it and it would be best to make sure he doesn't even try in the first place.

Hope this helps.