Patients hospitalized for excessive acetaminophen ingestion at an urban county hospital over a 40-month period were studied. Of the 71 patients identified, 50 had taken acetaminophen during suicide attempts. The suicidal patients had ingested almost twice as much acetaminophen as those who had accidentally overdosed. There were higher rates of morbidity & mortality among accidental misuse patients than among suicide attempters. Possible explanations are offered for this finding. (26 refs.)