Efforts to identify clinical risk factors for completed suicide through the follow-up of depressed patients have yielded relatively few predictors. Those identified by at least 3 studies are suicidal plans/attempts, male sex, being single or living alone, inpatient status, & hopelessness. 2 biological risk factors have been identified for suicide in depressive disorder. There is now considerable evidence that the dexamethasone suppression test & measures of serum cholesterol concentrations, respectively, may provide a clinically useful reflection of these 2 mechanisms. (84 refs)