Suicide rates in bipolar disorder patients average 0.4% per year, or more than 25-times higher than the general population average. Suicidal acts often occur early in the illness & in association with severe depressive & dysphoric-agitated mixed phases. Systematic consideration of risk factors can enhance the assessment of potentially suicidal patients. Several short-term interventions are widely employed but there is little evidence of long-term effectiveness against mortality risks for most treatments. A notable exception in bipolar disorders is lithium maintenance treatment which is associated with strong & consistent evidence of reduced suicidal risk. For now, treatment can be enhanced by applying current knowledge systematically with close & sustained clinical follow-up of patients. (33 refs.)