I think if the person says they are ok, then, we have to accept that. We can't force help on our friends.

One thing I'll say though is that my phone buddies and I have exchanged addresses---we realized that if there really was a situation (such as what is going on with FIlio in the Crisis room right now), a phone buddy would need the address.

Well, the only thing I can think of to do is to a. let the person know you are there for them whenever they feel like talking and that you will listen. b. I don't mean to so und ultra religious as I'm not but you could try either praying for the person or sending good vibes their way if you are not particularly religious. You could hug them once a day just to let them know you are still there. All it takes is a simple ((((HUGS)))) no other words need be said and the person will know you are there for them. I tend to also isolate when I need help. I think it's pretty common with us unfortunately.

I think it's important for us to remember that just because you are phone buddies with someone it doesn't make them responsible for them. If I am going through a bad patch, I don't expect my phone buddies to do anything special. The main reason we started the phone buddy system is so we don't have a situation like we have now (someone has said he OD'd and we don't know his name or address.) That's all the phone buddies are really for, right? The rest of this stuff is super kind and sweet, but I think we don't want to put too much pressure on the system.

I agree that sometimes we just need our space and dont feel like talking or sharing
We with bipolar understand it only too well
You have let your buddy know you are there for them and now I would let them have their space.
If you feel there is a crisis thats something different altogether and you could pass on their number to authorities but unless you fear for their life I would let them be for now
You are a caring friend and you could let them know you are there for them if and when they want to talk
Bless you both

The last time I checked my phone buddy mentioned they were experiencing suicidal ideations but didn't want to talk and mentioned that they were indeed fine when they weren't. I guess that's
what I thought phone buddies where there for. I know you can't force help on anyone. But I want to help.

It sounds like you have helped
You let him/her know you are there for them

By being there for them you've helped all you can. If you think your buddy is going to hurt him/herself, you should call 911 and give their name and address. That's really all you can do. Good luck.

Remember, you can help, but you cannot save.

I am in a similar situation. It is a helpless feeling, but all we can do is be there for our friends and wait for them to talk to us if they need to. I can't force her to let me help her. But I do understand your feelings of helplessness concerning this situation. I think Tadeo may be right, we can help, but we cannot save.