Comparisons between individuals who attempt suicide and those who complete suicide have shown that the two groups are not necessarily from the same population. Similar comparisons have not been reported between attempters and individuals who voice thoughts of suicide but make no overt attempt (ideators). Since therapists are commonly required to deal with both suicide ideators and suicide attempters, it is therapeutically relevant to question whether such individuals should be approached differently. To address this issue, suicide ideators and suicide attempters (N=40) were compared on the Beck Depression Inventory, the Hopelessness Scale, the Dysfunctional Attitude Scale, and the Irrational Beliefs Test. Subjects were also administered the Scale for Suicide Ideation, a structured interview designed to quantify severity of suicidal thinking. Results revealed no significant differences in depression, hopelessness, or dysfunctional attitudes; the only significant difference occurred on 1 of 10 subscales measuring irrational beliefs. Trends suggest that larger group sizes might have produced findings of greater, rather than less, irrationality among ideators relative to attempters. These findings run contrary to the notion that a continuum of severity exists between ideators and attempters, with ideation representing a less severe form of cognitive disturbance than suicidal behavior. Instead, these results support the notion that ideators should be treated as potential suicide attempters. (Author/NB)