James, I'm very glad to read your friend has survived this and will hopefully get some help through the hospital's psych department. Please encourage this young man to continue to get support through ongoing counselling. Drinking and swallowing pills in the middle of the day was an incredibly dangerous activity and he very easily could have died had someone not found him in time.

Yes as a parent I can tell you this is one of the greatest things we fear, that one of our kids would do this in a moment of despair. My gut clenched when I read about his poor mom at the hospital.

Please encourage your friend to not be embarrassed or ashamed about this suicide attempt but rather to use it to figure out why he would feel so bad about this girl. Many people fight depression or crisis, some choose to deal with it this way but most get through it and with help or even medication go on to live good lives and find the right person that will love them. I would encourage you and all this young man's friends to show him lots of support, keep him away from the booze and pills and partying and help him remember why life is so very, very precious. Don't let anyone hassle or tease him, just be the good friends you are and stand by him while he works his way back from the darkness.