Hi @bodeed and welcome, glad you found us!
First off, as your brother has expressed some suicidal ideation, it might be good to have some crisis numbers and services handy - we have a guide here for how to help in a crisis, but most important is that if you are worried your brother may harm himself or someone else, please call 000 straight away. You can also get in touch with your local Crisis and Assessment Team for further support and guidance for tonight, and we also have some info here about coping when someone goes missing. I hope you do hear back from him soon 🤞
I'd also just like to acknowledge how challenging it is for family and carers to see their loved one in distress, and not know how to help. It's awesome that you've taken this step in reaching out for some guidance, as it can be so impactful for your own mental wellbeing to try to muddle through it alone. Do you have much in the way of mental health support for yourself? Both in terms of having supportive friends and family, and in terms of any professional support? You can always look into SANE's Guided Service if you haven't already! Many folks who support someone with mental health issues end up needing to seek some professional support of their own, absolutely no shame in it 😉
It can be extra challenging when the person who is unwell is either unable to see or recognise that they need support, or unwilling to seek it out. We cannot force a person to seek treatment if they're not ready, and generally speaking treatment is always going to be more effective if the person has made the choice themself to engage in the process. We have some further reading here about ways to encourage our loved ones to seek treatment. Sometimes all we can do is open the door, and try our best to look after ourselves while we wait to see if they'll walk through it.
I can really hear how much concern you have about your brother's wellbeing. He's lucky to have a sibling like you in his life! May he find his feet soon 💜
