A 2 year case register follow-up of 690 suicide attempters, 18% repeated. The majority of repeats were in the first year, more than half in the first 3 months. 141 of the subjects were interviewed at 6 months. Of previous attempters, 32% made 2 or more attempts within a 3 month period. Three types of repeaters are suggested: the chronic, those with several repeats within a short period; and the occasional repeater. (JE)