The lack of systematic psychometric information on the Suicide Opinion Questionnaire (SOQ) was addressed by investigating the factor structure and reliability of the eight-factor clinical scale model (mental illness, cry for help, right to die, religion, impulsivity, normality, aggression, and moral evil), developed for interpreting responses to the SOQ. Participants were 237 undergraduates (93 males and 144 females) from a large university. Confirmatory factor analysis, exploratory factor analysis, and item analysis were performed to examine model fit. Three psychometric analyses of the eight clinical scales of the SOQ indicated major deficiencies within the measure. Rather than discarding it or continuing its use in an unsystematic fashion, it is suggested that efforts be made to develop a psychometrically stable interpretive structure for the measure. These results suggest a five-factor model (acceptability, perceived factual knowledge, social disintegration, personal defect, and emotional perturbation) that would appear to be an improvement over the eight-factor model, but further research is necessary before the five-factor model is used. (SLD)