The aims of this study were: (1) to compare the comorbidity of mental disorders & other characteristics among male & female suicide victims with DSM-III-R psychoactive substance dependence; (2) to evaluate the treatment histories of male & female suicide victims with DSM-III-R psychoactive substance dependence; (3) to examine the characteristics of adolescent suicides with diagnostically subthreshold or diagnosed alcohol misuse; (4) to explore differences in characteristics between alcohol misusing & nonmisusing suicide victims; & (5) to examine weekly variation in completed suicide with regard to patterns of alcohol misuse in relation to employment status. (275 refs)