An investigation of handwriting of suicide persons through suicide notes.

The question of whether or not the handwriting of persons who commit suicide and leave a note could be distinguished from controls was examined by employing 3 sets of judges: professional graphologists in Europe, American detectives, and secretaries. The graphologists exceeded chance by an unusually significant margin, while the detectives and secretaries did not. Apparently, the quality of the handwriting of a suicidal person is distinguishable, especially to highly trained and skilled professional persons, although specific clues are difficult to assess. The implications for training and further study were noted.