In this letter to the editor David Lester further comments on the report made by Dr. B. M. Barraclough upon the decline during the past decade of the suicide rate in England & Wales. David Lester notes that the decline in the suicide rate is not found in all age groups. Evidence shows that for both males & females, the suicide rate has declined markedly in those aged 45 or more but has risen in those aged 15-44. (LC) (1 ref)