I would insist that we as a couple start going to couple's counselling with a licensed professional. Then, I would mention the threat during a session. I would also tell people close to my soon to be ex what the person had threatened. Suicide threats are blackmail. Big time. It is an abuse of your sensitivity and a powergrab. Once in a counselling situation, you can seek the help of a professional who can better handle that sort of anguish.

I would immediately take this person to the ER, because threats of suicide should never be taken lightly. This person must obviously have some mental issues to work through, and will need professionals to help them through. You should also still leave the relationship. It will be easier for your ex boyfriend or girlfriend to get the help that they need if you are no longer in the picture. But make sure that you don't leave them without making sure that they are in the hands of professionals, which may come down to calling the police and having this person forced into getting help. It is a professionals role to decide whether or not this person is actually suicidal or was just saying that to get you to stay in the relationship. Either way you should go ahead with your plan of leaving them.

Pack them up in the car for a "romantic date" and take him to the ER.

What he's doing is emotional blackmail and abusive. He cannot hold you in a relationship under threat, even if the threat is personal harm. If he means it, then he needs to go to the emergency room right away. Suicide threats are nothing to scoff off, and you will always regret it if something happens to him after you hesitated taking him to the ER.

If he's bluffing, then this is a reality check that you can't be threatened. It's over.

Once you take him to the ER, don't see him for a few weeks at least. He needs to adjust to a life that doesn't have you in it. Don't cave, please. Or he's got you.

That happened to me, and I told her that if she was going to be that way about it, I was going to call a social service agent who would throw her into a ward and keep her medicated until she got over it, and did she think her career could weather the time out like that.

She very quickly switched over to throwing my stuff out the window, which was easier to replace than it would have been her if she'd hurt herself.

This has actually happened to me a couple of times, and I have struggled with the right way to deal with this for some time. While it is obvious that a person that would stoop to that level has some serious emotional issues to deal with, it is important to remember that taking care of them and making them feel better is not your responsibility. Giving in to that kind of behavior only leads to further manipulation and is not good for you in the long run.

The times that I have run across this situation, I have tried various things. I called the suicide hotline number and got their advice once. They told me that I should try to convince the person to call them directly, so that they could talk them out of it. I have also thought of trying to talk someone into going to the ER for help. But the reality is, you can never force someone to do something that they don't want to, and the majority of the time, a person making these kinds of threats is doing it not because they really are depressed and feeling suicidal, but in order to be manipulative and get you to do what they want you to do. That is controlling behavior!

The best advice I had in this situation came from a friend, after I had tried everything, even going back to that person three times only for them to continue to do the same thing every time I told them it was over. His advice to me was simple but worth it: Do nothing.

That's it. Do nothing, say nothing, walk away. I know that it is a lot harder to do sometimes in real life, but trust me, it is worth it.