Among 44 terminally ill patients, the majority (N=34) had never wished death to come early. Three were or had been suicidal and seven more had desired early death. All ten patients who had desired death were found to be suffering from clinical depressive illness. Methodologic difficulties encountered by the authors were: a) lack of a brief, efficient interview schedule for debilitated patients & b) criteria for depressive disorders that do not depend on suicidal thoughts.