If suicides gave their reasons for the act in set terms not much light would be thrown on the matter. But this is precisely what everyone who hears of a suicide tries to do. All he really accomplishes is to reduce the case to his own language, thus making it something different from the reality. GEORG C. LICHTENBERG,Reflections, 1799 I. Introduction To increase the effectiveness of the early recognition of suicidal potentialities is obviously one of the initial goals in any approach that is directed towards minimizing needless loss of life from self-destruction. One can consider people who demonstrate suicidal behavior as falling into 2 categories, namely, those who talk about what they might intend to do and those who don't. Since, then, the communication of suicidal ideation might well be a factor that could help in the early identification of those who will try to