The intense fatigue caused to counsellors and mentors by people who just will not help themselves is well known. This article shows another dimension. The tragedy of a gifted underachiever who, at the age of 17, ended her own life with conscious intent is described in detail. The implications are then highlighted. They show an underachiever who made continuous and constructive efforts to help herself, but whose very efforts left her with and all pervading sense of being blocked. A significant contributor to this sense of being blocked is the failure of parents, teachers, clergy, counsellors and doctors to grasp the intensity and legitimacy of a child's suffering.
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