A 21-year-old woman was admitted to a psychiatric hospital after a suicide attempt. Her family had a well-documented history of Huntington's disease, including confirmation at autopsy in two family members. Two years later, when the patient was 23, depression recurred, with a weight loss of 11 to 14 kg (25 to 30 lb), and the patient made a second suicide attempt. According to family members, her mood was quite variable, with "low" and "high" periods. When she was 31, a sibling was given a diagnosis of Huntington's disease. The patient's husband subsequently noticed that she was increasingly anxious and depressed and that the "high" periods became less frequent and shorter. There were outbursts of anger, episodes of suspiciousness, and a decrease in the number of social contacts. The patient made no suicide threats. Two to three months before death, she began to use marijuana two to three times a week. There were no reported problems with work performance. No family member noticed any impairment of memory or coordination, adventitious movements, restlessness, or an inability to sit still. The patient committed suicide at the age of 32 by a gunshot to the chest. Before death, she had banked a blood sample for DNA analysis and expressed a wish that her brain be used for research.