I just got back from the gas station where I went to pick up cigarettes (it’s 3:40am right now) and on my way out I was approached by a man who asked to use my cell phone so he could call the police because he was having suicidal thoughts. I didn’t have my phone on me since I was just going up the street so I went with him into the gas station and asked them to let him use their phone. The people at the gas station seemed kind of weirded out but another customer let him use their cell. I sat and smoked a cig with him while we waited for the police. While we waited (maybe 5-6 minutes) I talked to him and he said he just felt like he had no one and he didn’t want to live. He didn’t say anything specific like he broke up with his girl or lost his job or anything “mundane” like that. He was just calm but you could tell he was serious. I told him that for whatever it counts, I didn’t want him to kill himself and that I hoped when it was all said and done he would be alright. I’ve been in bad bad places in my head (never seriously or urgently suicidal) but I couldn’t help but think that I didn’t say enough to him or I could have given him better “advice”. I don’t know if I would be comforted by the same words if I was seriously considering suicide. I think maybe I was just too taken back by what was happening. I know the police are probably just going to take him to the hospital, besides that I don’t know what else they would do. I don’t know what happened because he actually thanked me and said goodbye when the police started pulling up, so I left right then. Was it best to encourage him to go ahead and call the police like he wanted?