Richad, I appreciate that you are talking through experience but I have been involed with several other people who have felt suicidal and have never found that has effected me. My feelings have been my own and come at there own time and there is no connection between the 2 and in fact, I would almost be inclinded to suggest the opposite, ie that if you have a friend who is struggling in that way, you in fact have somebody to be strong for rather than join in the depression with. Are you sure that it wasn't the emotional involvement within a relationship that caused that problem with your friend.

Coming back to drugs, I had a friend (in fact the first of the 2 girlfriends I mentioned earlier). She had been on Prozak and all sorts and I got a phone call from her on New Years Eve (a long while after I had stopped seing her) telling me that she didn't know who to turn to and that she couldn't see any meaning in life. I cancelled my plans and went over to see her and took her out for a drink. As luck would have it, it ended up being the night when life finally gave her the break she needed. She met somebody that night and they later had a daughter. Did her far more good than any of the drugs. She has moved out of the area now and I have lost touch with her but as far as I know she is still doing OK.

I have recently been trying to restore some stuff that I had written at the time I got labeled sz. I am past caring what anybody thinks about me. If any of the let's say "amatuer psychologists or psychiatrists" (just don't know what term to use - I'm not being rude to anybody" want to have a read of some of it, it is at http://members.tripod.co.uk/jonbanjo/life.htm

Jon