This study comprises 200 cases from a total of 1,155 patients who attempted suicide in 1975 and were admitted to the casualty department of Ain Shams University Hospital in Cairo, which has a catchment area comprising approximately 3 million people. A crude rate of suicide attempts in Cairo would be 38.5/100,000. There was a high percentage among the age group 15--44 years with no major differences between the two sexes. Single patients represented 53% of the total, with students showing the highest risk (40%). Depressive illnesses, hysterical reactions, and situational disorders, in that order of frequency, were the main causes of the attempt. Overdose by tablet ingestion was the most common method used (80%). Official government records are misleading and do not represent the true rate.