One of the targets of the Govermnent White Paper, The Health of the Nation, was to reduce the suicide rate of severely mentally ill people by at least 33% by the year 2000. It is this target which the present manual (one of a series of Thematic Reviews) aims to address, by providing guidance to purchasers and providers of mental health services. The review brings together the salient aspects of what is known about suicide risk and its assessment and management when expressed by people who present themselves to mental healthcare services.