A literature review of studies on murder-suicide was done to determine whether the incidence of murder-suicide is increasing & what its risk factors are. Results show the incidence of murder-suicide remains at under 0.001%. Risk factors are: the relationship between perpetrator & victims, history of domestic violence, gender of perpetrator & victim, age of perpetrator, presence of divorce/separation, use of weapon, & history of mental illness. There are some distinct risk factors for murder-suicide including substance abuse, mostly male perpetrators, depression, & older males who are primary caregivers. (22 refs.)