The characteristics of 79 people who survived a suicide attempt by jumping from a height were explored by reviewing pscyhiatric consultation notes. Subjects were mostly Chinese men, age 21-50 years, who were sober & drug-free at the time of the attempt. More than three-quarters of them were living with relatives or friends. Most attempts occurred at home or familiar places. Suicides hints or notes were not usually left & nearly 50% of attempts were impulsive. One-quarter of the sample were suffering from functional psychoses & one-quarter from major depressive illness. Half of the attempts were triggered by psychosocial life events. A cognitive-behavioural model is postulated to account for the suicidal behaviour. (19 refs.)