163 individuals in a suburban catchment area of 72,000 inhabitants made registered suicide attempts during 1975-76. They were followed up by means of the Swedish Register of Death Causes over a period of 8-10 years. 6 cases of verified suicide were found & 4 additional cases were considered as probable or possible suicides. There was a mean number of 3.5 suicide attempts before the eventual suicide. The most important common factor overall was alcohol or drug abuse with social deterioration (7 in 10 cases). The rest were depressed women with long-standing suicidal processes. The importance of recognizing chronic abuse as probably the most important background factor is stressed. Realistic prevention for most of these patients requires well-planned & longstanding treatment & rehabilitation programmes. (32 refs.)