Empirical investigations relevant to Beck's theory have shown that depressives often experience a preponderance of negative cognitive attitudes towards themselves and their own performance. Many studies have brought out the direct relationship that exists between hopelessness and suicide behavior, although few studies from India have examined the relationship among suicide intent, hopelessness, and negative cognitive phenomena. This study examined this relationship; the cognitive phenomena was studied as it existed in high and low intent suicide attempters. Attempted suicides (N=45) were classified into groups of low and high intent categories. Subjects were administered the Hopelessness Scale and the Crandell Cognitions Inventory. The findings indicated significant differences in scores between the two groups on measures of hopelessness and cognitions, the high intent group being more hopeless and having more negative cognitions than the low intent group. Although the specific problems faced by the high intent attempters were different than those faced by attempters in the West, they all had in common the experience of pessimistic thoughts, negative cognitive phenomena, and a fairly severe degree of hopelessness. (Author/ABL)