Use Common Sense to help your friends:

If you see a friend or a family member going through the most difficult days and you’re trying to help them through; there are some things you should keep in mind to keep the peace.
When faced with a challenge, the only person affected is the one going through the tough times. Not you.
You will see the light brighter then they will and you may see ways to change a bad thing to make it better but try to remember, you’re not going through whatever challenge your friend/family is going through.
They have personal rights; a right to privacy and sometimes, they just want to get through their challenge, their way. They may even want to face it all alone until they can't handle it anymore.
To avoid severe arguments, blow ups and to save the friendship, here are some thoughts of what you should probably NOT do, when trying to help.
1. Never yell at them
2. Never blame
3. Never remind them of their past mistakes or hard times.
4. Do remember, they see the light lit dimmer then you; they may not see the end of the tunnel, so stop antagonizing them.
5. Do let them see their own light and let them remember their own past. If they remember good times, let them remember that.
6. Do listen, that’s all you can do.
7. Don’t be the one to remind them of how much worse it can be – they can see the bad very clearly and they probably can see it worse than you can.
In the end, times are tough. The best advice I can give you to help someone you care about, use your common sense and treat them as you would want them to treat you when your shit hits the fan.