Depressed boyfriend with suicidal thoughts- break up? Advice on how to handle it all!

My boyfriend and I (we're early 20s) have been going out for 8/9 months and met at uni. At first it was really great- he was really good company, communicated with me all the time, loads in common and just generally fun/happy. I have been away for the past month (on holiday) as well as his house mate being away too. He's been kind of lonely living by himself and working loads and since I've come back, things haven't been the same. He will make little to no effort to communicate with me, and constantly makes excuses not to see me. At first I confronted him as to whether he wanted to be with me at all, and he said he did because he likes me and cares for me, but that things have been different in his head this past month and he feels worthless. Having experienced depression myself, could tell that this was what he was going through. He said he was too 'proud' to go get help from a professional, yet I explained he should focus on getting himself better and then being able to achieve something to make him proud instead. I'm nearly at the end of my tether with the ignoring and no effort on his behalf, my friends all say I deserve better and should leave him, but today he admitted he was definitely depressed and that he was going to a doctor tomorrow (although knowing him he could change his mind any second). He explained he was having suicidal thoughts, and that I was the only one who knew he was suffering with this (he hasn't got a very close knit family and I imagine is embarrassed to tell his friends). My issue is that I'm very confused by his conduct and don't know how to respond to him. One minute, he ignores me all day, doesn't want to see me- the next he says he cares for me and wants to be with me. He tells me he's depressed and I offer to help him through it, that he's suicidal, then he goes home and I don't know whether he's going to do something dangerous because he won't talk to me. How do I react towards him? I want him to come to terms with making himself better and realising I love him very much and want to help him- is it best to just keep my distance? Make even more of an effort to support him? Or to break up because he's treating me in such a way? Thanks

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