When I was in school, I met a kid who, like me, was suicidal. Well, there were three of us. One of us was terrific at hiding it and he was super-popular. The other kid said to me one day that the difference between the popular guy and us was that he could "put a lid on it" (lock away the suicidal thoughts). The other kid also said that for us the options were suicide or becoming recluses (hiding from the world). He was a really good-looking kid and always had girlfriends. He said the only thing that kept him sane (he'd been on psych meds for ten years--but things got progressively worse) was being held. He craved his girlfriends' holding him (not sex, but sincere intimacy).
I think if we're deeply and chronically suicidal (I've been since I was nine), if we can't bring ourselves to ctb, then we need extremely powerful distractors. A lot of these can get us in trouble (drugs--both pharmaceutical and recreational, promiscuity...). I threw myself into a discipline that, to me, was almost religion-like. But if you can't fulfill basic needs, distractions may not be enough. The difference between the second kid above and me is that he could escape effectively enough in his distractions (authentic affection). I think if someone can find a consistently strong enough distraction from their pain they can stick it out longer. I'll have to ctb eventually b/c I'm not wealthy enough to stay alive and the costs of living keep increasing. Isn't it ironic that the powers-that-be proscribe suicide while sanctioning death due to poverty? Ah the hypocrisy of ideals. :)
Sorry for the long comment. Good luck finding your distraction.