Physicians have developed and tested a profile to be used by parents and professionals to help identify potential teenage suicide victims. The profile was developed using a study of 27 male and 37 female teenagers hospitalized in the Children's Psychiatric Hospital at the University of Michigan Medical Center. Adolescents were shown to be reliable reporters of information used to determine suicide potential. Talk of harming oneself, depressed mood, lack of a sense of pleasure, social withdrawal, decreased school performance, and a noticeable increase in substance abuse may be indicators of a potential suicide. Depression and drug or alcohol abuse was a particularly dangerous combination. Two types of suicidal teenagers emerged. The first is a teenager who seems to be doing well with friends, school, and other aspects of life. A marked behavior change occurs in which the adolescent's school performance falls, his hygiene decreases, he withdraws socially, he has problems sleeping, and he begins losing weight. This type of adolescent may have a chemical imbalance favoring suicide. The second type of suicidal teenager has not done well in school, may have a learning disability, and exists on the fringe of social activities. This student begins to see himself as others do, as a loser. Teenagers are killing themselves at much higher rates than they were just 30 years ago, possibly due to the fragmentation and instability of communities and families today. (The profile of a potential suicide is included and is arranged as a list of symptoms in the categories of depression, loss, psychiatric history, stress, and substance abuse.) (ABL)