First, the descriptive epidemiology and associated risk factors for juvenile suicide, suicidal behavior, and suicidal ideation are reviewed. This encompasses demography, motivation, precipitants, method and lethality, intent, psychiatric disorders, personality characteristics, hopelessness, impulsivity, cognitive distortion, social skills, and family history and environment. This is followed by a discussion of assessment of suicidal potential in youthful psychiatric patients and a delineation of the contribution of psychosocial stressors, specific psychiatric syndromes, intercurrent medical illness, personality and cognitive style, and family/environmental factors in suicidal risk. Also addressed is the application of current knowledge about risk factors for suicide in psychiatric patients to the prevention of suicidality through empirically-based psychiatric treatment of patients at high risk for suicide. Following an outline of the indicators for psychiatric inpatient treatment, the paper examines both somatic and psychosocial treatments regarding their effectiveness in reducing the risk for suicide and suicidal behavior in psychiatric patients. 5 tables, 1 figure, 225 references.