There were 174 women out of a total of 302 suicide deaths between 1996 and 2001, constituting 58 percent. The suicide rate for women over this period was proportionately higher than for men in the Province, since women composed 49.2 percent of the Province's population. Over half (56.3 percent) of the female suicides involved women under 20 years old. The most common suicide method for women was hanging (32.2 percent); for men the most common method was firearms (51.7 percent). For women younger than 20 years old, however, the most frequent method of suicide was firearms. Among the female suicides, five were known to have attempted suicide at least once in the past. Among the women who committed suicide, 29 (16.7 percent) had a documented psychiatric illness. None of the women had a history of drug or alcohol abuse. A suicide note was found in only six cases (3.4 percent). The predominant suicide motive was family problems (32 percent of the cases). The higher rate of suicide among females compared with males in Diyarbakir, Turkey, as well as the higher absolute number of female suicides compared with male suicides, contrasts with most of the medical literature and statistical information about suicide rates by country. 1 table and 24 references