Dear Emily. What you must be going through! I've had five friends suicide over the years...Three of them in under a year. You can imagine how totally useless I felt, being unable to prevent these losses. For a while I tried to figure out what was the fatal flaw within me that attracted me to (and vice-versa) people who were that troubled. I at least felt that if I could have seen any one of these people the day before they acted, perhaps I could have said something that would have changed their situation.
When I was in my twenties, most of my friends were very regular drug users and pretty heavy drinkers, and it often became my role to "talk people down" from bad acid trips, or help them "walk off" a coke or heroin overdose. (a hospital would have been out of the question in those days due to the drug laws) I got used to saying the kind of things that would ease their fears and generally making them feel that they were in "safe hands". Perhaps you're a bit like that. If so, this is going to really hurt if she follows through.
There are a lot of folks (perhaps even some in our Mudcat group) who for whatever reason see the end of this year as hugely symbolic and this has probably become a great burden to them. I doubt that any logical argument about arbitrary calenders, or stuff like that is going to change their feeling that somehow their passing must be connected to this time.
I don't think you can help your friend anymore than you have already. If she wants to decide whether "to be or not to be" that will inevitably be her decision alone, and if her decision is to leave, try to have respect for her choice along with the sadness you'll surely feel. As you may know, I don't participate in the "group consciousness" threads (It just isn't my reality) but should you ever want to talk, my e-mail is over at Bbc's resources (I'd blue clicky but I'm afraid I'd fuck it up) or give me a call at 416-690-8697. I'm a good listener.
Love

Rick