Why Is Suicide the Choice for People Who Seem to Have Everything Going Their Way?

This article looks at those baffling suicides of apparently successful middle-aged adults, using a case history as an illustration, & various explanations proposed by experts e.g. the large size of the birth cohort results in greater stress from the need to compete for jobs & spouses; high expectations & lack of faith in larger institutions may contribute to depression in baby boomers; depression is chiefly neurochemical, increased in many cases by alcoholism & drug abuse. (GW)