This document provides witnesses' testimonies and prepared statements from a Congressional hearing on the roles of the federal government and of the Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Office in preventing youth suicides. Opening statements are included from four Senate committee members and statements are given by the Assistant Secretary for Human Development Services of the Department of Health and Human Services, and by the Deputy Director for Special Projects and the Chief of the Suicide Research Unit from the National Institute of Mental Health. Testimony is also included from the president of the American Association of Suicidology, the cochairperson of the National Committee for Youth Suicide Prevention, and the director of the Youth Suicide and Crisis Prevention Center of San Mateo County, California. The incidence of youth suicides, its possible causes, and ways of identifying possible victims are discussed. Suggestions are made for recognizing suicidal youth and for reaching out to prevent suicide on individual, community, and national levels. Current research efforts are detailed and allocation of additional funding for research is urged. Legislation declaring June 1985 as Youth Suicide Prevention Month is included. The seriousness of the problem and the need for national attention to and programs for the problem are emphasized throughout this document. (ABB)