Age-standardised & method-specific rates for 15-34-year-old males & females in England & Wales were calculated for the years 1968-95. Between 1968-70 & 1993-95 male rates increased by 83% while female rates decreased by 11%. In women, rates of overdose suicide in 1993-95 were 36% lower than rates in 1968-70. Despite a reduction in the 1980s, overdose suicide rates of young males changed little. Changes in rates of suicide using other methods were similar in both sexes. (5 refs.)