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On a broader note, I do think this is a problem in society, mostly with the younger crowd, which is I think why some people were asking your age, OP. My teenage kids have many instances of acquaintances "threatening" or referring to the possibility of suicide or "going emo" (cutting themselves, etc.). Someone called my son tonight, and they were kind of playing around and wouldn't identify themselves (female) and it was kind of cute and fun for a while for him I think, and after they wouldn't identify themselves for 5 minutes, he said well, enough, and told them he was hanging up and did. They called back ~5 times and by the end, were mentioning suicide and it had gotten ugly. My wife and I answered the next two calls and they didn't say anything and quit calling.

I don't think this person, or the others on MySpace, IM, etc. are seriously thinking about suicide, but it's their "hook." I mean, who can hang up on someone that is talking suicidal? But someone sick enough to go to that level just for a stupid little phone call are seriously messed up about life. And it's not a rare thing. Someone loses a boy/girlfriend, and off they go with the suicide talk.

Similarly, your friend going off with a "joke" about killing you is not funny. I put this in nearly the same bucket as someone who would pick up an "unloaded" gun and wave it around being "funny." I'm done with that person and won't be around him/her anymore. Maybe I'm an old fart (at 43), but I won't put up with crap like that.