Used information from psychological autopsies to characterize 283 suicides in the San Diego Study. Of the 133 consecutive cases under age 30 yrs, 14 were under age 20. The vast majority of adolescents who commit suicide seem to have long histories of disturbed behaviour. Adolescents who commit suicide have experienced situational stressors involving feelings of rejection, humiliation, futility or anger. Only a minority of Ss who commited suicide had received treatment for their disturbances.