A previous study by Naik et al (see SIEC #971046) concluded that first-admission psychiatric patients are not a high-risk group for suicide. In these letters to the editor, Hansen & Stark both disagree with this finding. A study by Hansen et al (1997) found standardized suicide mortality ratios for first-admission patients 30 times higher than those in the general population. Stark et al are critical of the small sample size. The reply of Naik & colleagues follows.