Studied 20 18-25 yr old attempters & 2 groups of 50 similar subjects each selected on the basis of frequency of suicidal thought, with no history of suicide attempts. High affiliative, succorant & nurturant needs, an inability to tolerate frustration & a tendency toward externalized aggression appeared to characterize the attempters. Specifically, high succorant needs, interacting with an inability to reach significant others appeared to distinguish frequent ideators from attempters. (25 ref)