Dr. E. Shneidman asserts that clues to adult suicide may be evident early in life, stating it is useful to conceptualize these risk indicators in terms of perturbation & lethality. Data from a longitudinal study of 1528 gifted individuals (5 suicides, 10 natural deaths, 15 living males) indicate that among subjects who committed suicide in their 50’s, the pattern of life consistent with this outcome seemed clearly discernible by the time they were in their late 20’s. (NBB)