This paper examines the relations and interactions between suicidality
and violence. It reviews the recent literature indicating that more t
han 40 variables have been identified as risk factors for suicide, Evi
dence is presented to indicate that the differences between suicide at
tempters and suicide completers are a matter of degree, and that most
conclusions that apply to one also apply to the other. A review of the
recent literature on violence revealed that 37 variables are risk fac
tors for violence and that 23 of them are risk factors for suicide as
well. Evidence indicates that at least 17 variables have been identifi
ed as protective factors that decrease the risk of both suicide and vi
olence. These considerations and others have led to the development of
a Two-Stage Model of Countervailing Forces that systematically relate
s suicide to violence.