The concern to prevent suicide among young Australians is welcome and appropriate. However, in placing the suicide of young people in context, it can be seen that the problem is not just a problem for young people, and is not uniquely Australian. The author reports that suicide among other groups should not be overshadowed by the attention given to youth suicide, and unless youth suicide is kept in perspective, there is the danger that the dimensions and nature of the problem may be misunderstood with a resulting focus on inappropriate strategies to deal with the issue. The author suggests that to provide this sense of perspective the following types of questions should be asked: How common is youth suicide? Is it a growing problem? Is it more prevalent among young people than among other age groups? Are some groups of young people more in danger of committing suicide than others? Is suicide among young people a peculiarly Australian problem?