In an editorial Kubie reviews some of the complexities and difficulties in formulating ideas about the problem of suicide. He enumerates a number of variables, different types of fantasies, and diverse psychopathological states which may, under a variety of circumstances, lead to a single end, suicide. He urges that we not be misled by the common denominator of death to forget the multivalent objectives of suicidal behavior. Numerous questions are raised: where therapy fits in as a preventative, and occasionally as a provocative, factor; how can hospitalization be best utilized; where do drugs fit in; what are the warning signals and what do they mean? He concludes that further investigation is needed and indicates several lines of research.