Suicidal fantasies in normal children

This study of a randomly selected sample of 101 schoolchildren, who had no history of previous psychiatric symptomatology, showed that approximately 12% of the children had suicidal impulses. Verbatim statements of the children about their suicidal tendencies are presented. Case vignettes illustrate the common occurrence of parental depression and suicidal behavior and the child's identification with these depressed parents. Clinical implications of these findings are discussed.