how you help depressed friends (a bit long)

[animal_cookie]

so i lurk around these boards alot without posting and noticed that alot of people are depressed and otheres respond with their own experiences. how do you do it wiht out slipping back into a depressive state yourself?
the other day, a friend called me in tears asking me for just one reason why he shouldn't kill himself. i gave him the first answer that came to mind, if he died, he would cause me and numerous other people to experience the lonliness he was going thru. he started crying and swore he would never hurt me like that.
now this would be fine if that was the end of the conversation, but he continued to ask me questions (i think to assure himself that other people have went thru what he is going thru) about how i cope with being depressed. i used to inflict pain upon myself (i haven't for about a year, but its still very tempting...i've discovered that drugs work better if i use them in moderation) and he knows this (he also injures himself). so after an hour of talking to him, he feels better and i feel worse.
it usually leaves me in a 'weird' mood for a few days and then i can get over it. except that its not just him who calls me, i seem to be the one to call when people are having troubles. i do not want to tell these friends not to call me anymore since i know how much it sucks to have the one person who understands you refuse to talk to you. BUT i need a way to help them but distance myself at the same time before i fall back into old habits. if i am high, distancing myself is easy, but i cant put a friend on hold to toke up everytime i get a call. any suggestions on how you all deal with situations like this?
ps- sorry for the long, rambling post and hopefully this is the right forum....

 

[<xseptiontotherule>]

I had an ex-girlfriend who cut her self. Every time it got more severe. Well she was very good at hiding this from me and other people. It took some time but, I got her to do to a doctor. He could help her much better than I ever could.
After lots of tears and battles with her interdemons, she started to show progress.
The point is that there are professionals that can help your friend. It will not be easy, but This is the best thing I can think of...
I really hope

 

[Partykid12]

Yes proffestionals are probably the ones to contact when someones life is at risk.
I can go on these boards and talk to people and give them advice because I like too.... I am a criminal justice/psychology major. I enjoy giving people advice that I have learned from my own experience. I have gone from one extreme to another, I grew up in a Spanish-high-moral, drugs are bad, drink every once a while, get good grades, upper class, kind of family but I ended up trying every drug in the book and getting into a very bad addiction with painkillers. Dealing with this was really bad but having parents that loved me and heard me out helped out really good (my parents have never even seen drugs and they came from a cocaine infested town in Bolivia so all this was a really big surprise)
I hope your friend gets better but if they are on the verge of committing suicide than they should probably be medicated with anti-depression pills. best of luck to you man

 

[drab4]

I get this too. It doesn't really make me feel more depressed though.
When I was severely depressed I couldn't talk to anyone to help them so it wasn't relevant back then. Now I am almost recovered I don't mind helping people and so on. It makes me feel a bit down, but only for a while. Like I had to talk my brother down from a bridge the other month and I felt bad at the time but not for too long.
Just think that you are making a difference to someone and you will proably feel better yourself. Good luck mate.