When I was about 17, one evening a friend from school with suspected borderline personality disorder called me and told me that she had "taken some pills, a lot of pills". I immediately went over to her house since it was in the neighborhood. She had already induced vomitting, but said that she was beginning to feel dizzy. Under the circumstances, we called an ambulance. Calling help was actually the scariest thing about the whole ordeal, because she suspected (I believe rightly so) that once you get caught in The System, you can get trapped in it for good. I remember feeling guilty about calling the ambulance, but it seemed too risky to not do it.
In the hospital, it initially looked like our fears were confirmed. Treatment by the staff was horrid. However, after youth services interviewed my friend, she was let go, mainly because she was almost of legal age and because she affirmed many times that she regretted the suicide attempt. She ended up moving in with us for a few months, to get away from home and to sort everything out. It worked. As far as I know (we lost touch after school) she went on to live a full and 'normal' life.
There is no question in my mind that it would have turned out very differently if she had been just one year younger at the time. She would have gotten trapped in The System, no doubt exacerbating her suicidal feelings, both because the people in charge of 'protecting' these kids don't seem to be particularly kid-friendly, and because she was prone to clashing with authority figures (who, it goes without saying, tend to be petty and capricious). On more than one occasion my friend was told that she had engaged in an "illegal act" for attempting suicide - that's not helpful to say the least.
I have to admit though that I'm having trouble accepting suicidal ideation, especially in minors, without at least exploring treatment options. We as a society have an obligation to not make suffering worse, and we often seem to fail this basic test.