A report of 6 depressed patients who developed intense, violent suicidal preoccupation after beginning fluoxetine treatment prompted the authors of this study to survey 27 psychiatrists. None of their patients reported suicidal thoughts to the degree of the previous 6 cases. Ideation which occurred only after the initiation of treatment was not significantly different between patients treated with fluoxetine alone & those receiving other antidepressant treatments. (VM)