Short term psychotherapy, rather than longer-term analytic therapy, is especially indicated with crisis situations, acting-out behaviour, or psychic decompensation (where normal defense mechanisms fail). Means of dealing with these situations, of dealing with the risk of suicide & of handling the sucidal patient in group therapy are discussed. Suggestions range from alleviating stressful life conditions & diminishing the patient’s idealization of suicide, to drug prescriptions & hospitalization.