This paper tries to answer the following: how does the hospital staff deal with suicide patients, anxious & hesitant or self-confident & risk-taking (e.g. talking about a suicide), & what part does team responsibility have? The sample included 249 suicides occurring in West Germany in 1970 & 1982. Results show readiness for openness to coworkers, but not to copatients. This reaction was influenced by ward setting, especially for the decision to include patients in the processing.