This paper was developed to shed light on the phenomenology of suicide; that is, to focus on suicide as a phenomenon affecting a unique individual with unique motives for the suicidal act. To explore this topic, the author looks back at the past centuries to understand why suicide was thought to be confined to psychiatric illness & to document the bias in studies supporting this notion. One major step forward in the conceptualization of suicide as a psychological disorder was provided by Shneidman who focused on the pain of negative emotions. Such a radical approach is laudable in an era where diagnostic criteria & the need to cure are more important than understanding what is not working at the emotional level. (53 refs.) JA