A 28-yr-old presented emergently after ingesting 800 mg of potassium cyanide in a suicide attempt. He survived only with intensive medical & psychiatric intervention & went on to develop severe Parkinsonian symptoms, including profound micrographia & hypersalivation. Bilateral, symmetrical basal ganglial abnormalities were demonstrated with magnetic resonance imaging. Survival following cyanide poisoning is rare. The clinical, radiologic & neuropathologic sequelae in other cases are reviewed.