30 years of suicide rates for Guam were analyzed by age, gender, period, & cohort. Youth suicide increased rapidly in the 1990s; certain cohorts have higher rates. 4 explanatory factors are discussed, including ecological factors & migration from the Federated States of Micronesia. Direct & indirect suicide contagion followed the suicide of a respected politician, strongly influencing period & cohort patterns. Suicide pacts inflated suicide among young people. These factors acted in combination to produce epidemic levels of suicide in the 1990s. (42 refs.)