A very good friend in trouble

I have a very good frind that always had issues of many kind, he us obsessive, paranoid about people always talking about him and many other things, he has being in therapy for quite a long time but recently he started to feel worse.
Yesterday I got a call from his girlfriend because he tried to kill himself. So I went there amd it was some kind of intervention.
The issu here is that until yesterday I was convinced that almost everything can be solved with will, wanting to change, making a good introspection and finding what is wrong, thatnis what have worked with me so far when I have a problem. But yesterday I felt completely impotent, because the therapy, nor the conpany of his friends could help.
His girlfriend suggested to see a psychiatrist and this doctor came and resolved that the best option was for him to get interned to make a further evaluatiom and identify which kknd of medication he needs. For some years he have being taking antidepressants but bow it seems like a more serious thing.
I feel bad for not being able to help, for not having the tools to help and I am not sure medication is the solution.

Do someone have any experience on this?

Why do you not trust the doctors whose jobs it is to make these kinds of assessments?

This is the experience of someone who works in the field of disability management - specifically mental health disabilities.

A family doctor generally only has basic knowledge of the kinds of medications that treat mental health conditions. And consulting psychiatrists are restricted by how often they can see the person, and the self-reported symptoms.

Complex psychiatric conditions may require dozens of medications trials before finding one (or a combination) that allow a person to function in their day-to-day life.

In my experience, in-patient psychiatric treatment is an excellent opportunity and resource. It allows the doctors to observe symptoms and function for themselves rather than relying on the person's reports, and allows for better management of medication. Also, he would be followed closely by specialists in a therapeutic environment, most of which include other treatment modalities such as individual and group therapy, more sensitive testing/assessment, and overall greater support. Plus the ability to closely monitor for further potential suicide risk.

The love of friends and family may not be enough for your friend. He may require specialized care, and the best thing you can do is support him in that treatment. You're right that medication alone is not a solution, he'll likely need the right medication combined with different kinds therapy and/or life coaching. It's okay that you're not able to help directly, but you can ensure that he finds his way to the people with the expertise that CAN help him.

EDIT: to elaborate a bit further: would you try to surgically remove a tumour from your friend by yourself if he had cancer? Or would you trust the surgeon and oncologist at the hospital to do it? Just because a condition is psychological, it doesn't mean that doesn't require specialized care in an in-patient context.

Medication is the solution for thousands of people around the world. There are new types now that help those resistant to, or who negatively react to, the old forms of antidepressants, and I have a friend who has been on just about all of them at one time or another whom benefits from one of these new drugs.

Some of us are just not wired the same. Drugs were not the answer for me, and they don't seem to be for you, but they really can help. Don't give up yet.

As far as not being able to help, here's the cold blunt truth as I see it (This is not gospel, but I believe it wholeheartedly). A truth I've learned from putting the suicidal on my back time and time again over the years. His life is not your responsibility. I know it feels like it is, but to feel as though you can have an affect so drastic that it could make him live or die is a delusion. At the end of the day, he will live, or he will not. And there is nothing you can do to change that outcome that you are not already doing. Be a friend. Support him if he asks for it, and be worried if you feel you need to be. But none of us hold the power to convince those with no hope to find it. That power is in his hands alone.

My second hand experience with both people who tried alternative medicines and those who used pharmacy and medical therapy have really made me pro-doctor.
Ultimately, you can't make him do anything. A lot of people decry medical solutions as treating the symptoms, while touting rather ineffective or unproven solutions. The root problem is a matter for your friend. I don't know this case's details, but I do know that research supports the psychosomatic effects on many psychological problems by treating the symptoms.
In any case, there are exceptions, but the best you can do for your friend is be there, and help him consult relevant experts.

Thank you very much I agree that the experts need to do their job and they know better what would the best solution would be. Sometinmes I just feel that the method to find a solution that right combination of madicstions and therapy is difficult and sometimes it thrashed people. I hope this is not he case.

Before I got to the part where you said he was now seeing a psychiatrist, I was going to say: he needs a psychiatrist. Whomever brought one in was right to do so, and mature enough to recognize it reached that point.

It's also important that you know psychiatry and psychology are not perfect sciences, they are simply the best thing we have. Your strongest role would be to simply be a friend and encourage him in the journey.