How to deal with insanity ?

There is a friend of mine, from college days. As it happens, we drifted apart from each other, he chose some other vocation and I chose another. At the time we were going to college, mobile phones were expensive. E-mail was also expensive but I chose to spend my money on e-mail and other methods of communication. Then about 6-8 months back, out of the blue, my friend called me back. It took me sometime as I wasn’t able to place him (I just cannot remember people and also features change a lot.) but do remember experiences. We promised to meet but at the time we were supposed to meet, it rained like it never rained before. I waited for an hour but wasn’t able to see him. I tried SMS, called him but no answer. I did try few times but never got him. He used to send me a message once in a while and I used to send a reply back. I was able to talk with his mum some days after that. Yesterday, I was trying to call some people, and his name popped up. On a hunch, dialed his number and his sis. came on the line. She was able to place me (I guess I might have met 6-8 years back or more) but still she was able to place me and she told me he’s gone insane. While I’m supposed to meet the family on the week-end to know what happened, I am still not able to process how it happened. I had known he had fallen into some bad company (his mum had shared this titbit) but can’t figure out for the life of me what could have driven him insane. I told I would be coming on Sunday as I have work, but more importantly trying to create some sense of space or control so I can digest what’s happened. While I know it happens to people, not to people I know, not to people I do care about. I also came to know that all the time my phone was not able to get through is because he has a shitty jio connection or the place where they live, jio doesn’t have a good presence.

Now one part of me has a sort of morbid curiousity as to what chain of events lead to it while at the same time dunno if I would be able to help them or what I should say or do ? Feel totally helpless. If anybody have any ideas, please yell, comment.