500 psychological autopsies on equivocal deaths were reviewed to decide which factors are significant in deciding between suicidal & accidental deaths. Significant factors included life-style, recent stress, suicidal communications, previous self-destructive behaviors, history of depression, & obvious factors from the physical evidence, such as, large amounts of drugs in the blood. The assembled evidence is often used to construct a “most credible” scenario to explain the death. (CM)