Increased numbers of suicides among Swedish psychiatric inpatients can be attributed to more suicides in the general population, more psychiatric patients & improved recording methods. The number of suicides involved in psychiatric care is higher than assumed; if definite & suspected suicides are added to those which occur within a week of discharge, the figure is 2.5 times greater than for definite suicides alone. Recommendations for suicide prevention work in psychiatry are made. (33 refs)