Data on single and multiple addiction-risk behaviours and suicidal beh
aviour were obtained from a large sample of Dutch secondary school stu
dents aged 16 to 19 years. Although the prevalence of hard drugs was t
he lowest of all addiction-risk behaviours, there was a markedly high
report of suicidal behaviours in youngsters who used these drugs: one
out of each five boys and one out of each three girls. The most ''suic
idal'' combination of two addiction-risk behaviours reported by girls
was that of sedatives and hard drugs: more than half of the girls who
reported both these behaviours also reported a suicide attempt. In boy
s, 27% of those who reported sedatives and cigarettes also reported a
suicide attempt. The number of addiction-risk behaviours reported by t
he adolescents showed an almost linear increasing relation with the pe
rcentage of suicide attempters. The results suggest that suicidal beha
viour and addiction-risk behaviours both should be regarded as part of
a complex interaction of multiple behavioural problems. Prevention pr
ogrammes and intervention strategies should focus on multiple rather t
han single targets, and screening procedures to detect adolescents at-
risk for suicidal behaviour should focus on patterns of multiple risk
factors rather than on single behaviours. (C) 1998 The Association in
Services for Adolescents.