ABSTRACT
The aim in this chapter is to explore the meaning of suicidal thoughts that emerged in the clinical material of a psychoanalysis of a severely disturbed patient. In this analysis, suicidality is projected into others, but there are also times when directly expressed suicidal thoughts appear. In the discussion of this case I focus on understanding the underlying psychic mechanisms. I describe the transference and countertransference situation and thereby demonstrate the complexities in the process of analytic work and the embedded nature of suicidality within the patient's relatedness to himself and others. Through this exploration, the purpose of suicidality can be recognized as representing a fear of a psychotic breakdown.
