What do you do if someone you know tried to commit suicide?

Good advice so far. This is a difficult topic, and has to be incredibly upsetting, scary, and difficult for you as well.

One of the best gifts you can give your sister is empathy. And that isn't easy.

To do that, you have to be able to go inside yourself to the deepest, darkest, most painful part of yourself and your experience, and think of a time when you felt like everything was miserable and intolerable. That's what your sister felt when she made the decision she did.

Now... think about what that must have felt like, for your sister, to be in that place. It's lonely, empty, and depressing. Depression, in the words of one of my amazing professors, is the inability to craft a future.

Once you understand what she was feeling comes the tricky part: Each of us, when we're in that deep, dark place, might want something different. Some of us want to be held. Others want someone to listen to us. Still others might want us to sit next to them in silence, but just to know that our friend or family is there. And still others might want those around us to talk with us, or distract us, or take us to the movies, or whatever.

But you can't know if you don't ask. And the problem with suicide attempts is... most of us are scared to death to talk about it. We're afraid we'll make it worse. (The reality is, that's rarely the case.)

So the best thing you can do is talk to her. I've said things like "I know you must be in a pretty dark place. I'm not sure I can fully understand it, but I'd like to try, and if you're willing, I'd like to be present with you in that dark place, so that we can work together to find the way out." That will often start the conversation.

You can also say "I'm not sure exactly what's the best way I can help right now, but I'm glad we're spending time together, and I want you to know how much I love you and appreciate you." You can also say "If there's anything you want to share, I'm here, and I won't judge. And if you don't feel like talking, that's fine too."

Don't make it about you and how it made you feel... suicidal people feel isolated and alone, so the conversation should focus on connection. And follow her lead in asking what she needs before hugging or touching or spending too much time with her... It's fine to ask if you could hug or hold her, but honor whatever her response is.