I know EXACTLY what you are talking about! The same thing happened to me, except the other person chose to stop communication with me, and wrote me a card and said he needed space. I had a very hard time with that; I wasn't used to that. Now, I am married, and this guy was a very close friend of mine, and as you said, was dealing with issues, too, and need sometime to himself. I was beside myself, and one of the reasons I joined this website and community.

I have been told if people need their space, you MUST respect it, and if it is meant to be, he will come back around and will come back.
I did not believe it would come back; it seemed permanent to me, because there are other complications in the realtionship.
ANYWAY, yes, you need to respect his space. I know . . it was EXTREMELY hard for me, too. You feel kind of empty, and there is a hole in your heart, but I will tell you my friend called me yesterday, all of a sudden, unexpectedly, and I am so glad he did!! It had been three months. He would not even answer my e-mails.

Pray about it; seek some counseling from someone if you have to in order to get through it, but you do need to respect his space.
IS HE STILL TEXTING YOU, and THEREFORE, STAYING IN TOUCH?

Yes he does text me..not nearly as much as before but he does. I saw him the other day (very briefly but better than nothing) and it was just what I needed. I want to hang in but have my weak moments. Thank you for your advice.

Yes he is texting..not nearly as much as he was before but keeping in touch. I really want to hang in but have my weak moments/days so thank you for the advice.

It is probably one of the most difficult things I have gone through, and he was not a boyfriend or anything like that - - we were close, he talked to me every day- several times a day, and he would confide in me. But, it got complicated, because I lent him money, too, and he is just going through so much now that he can't deal with a lot - - he has to focus on himself right now, and I understand that.

Hang in there - - I had NO contact with my friend for nearly three months solid - - no e-mail, no phone calls, NOTHING! Except, I was in touch with his Mom - I am friends with his family, too, so that helped a little, just to see how he was doing.

It is very hard, but if it is meant to be, it will be.

Hey there...let me start by saying this will probably be one of the most trying events in your life. I had this same thing happen to me and i'll tell you now i've never been more heartbroken. My boyfriend decided he couldnt be in a relationship and so we broke up. After this we still talked (mainly thru text messages)but like you, it just wasnt enough for me. The emotional emptiness i constantly felt through this barely-there friendship drove me to tears almost daily for about 2 months. Finally I let him know i couldnt take it anymore. We were either real friends (prefferably more than friends) or nothing at all. In the end I stopped speaking to him entirely. It wasnt an angry act, it was just something i had to do for myself. I didnt hear from him after that for 8 months then he broke the silence and called me saying he missed me. We have now been together for a over a year and are engaged.
My point here is that if you care for him then yes you need to give him his space. Dont forget to take yourself into consideration though. Its got to be driving you crazy and making you feel so hurt. It sounds hard i know but maybe if you distanced yourself even more, at least a little bit of the pain could be eased. It may not come immediately but it will get better. I promise. One of my very good friends once told me that if i loved him, then i needed to let him go. If it was meant to be, then he'd come back.
I hope you found something helpful here. My heart really does go out to you. Hang in there... and use this site for all its worth. People here really do care.

Since my post this morning, I decided to speak to him about how I'm feeling. We have decided to be friends (I want so much more but I'll take friends over nothing). I'm hurting so much right now and I want to thank you for your help.