One of the most persistent findings in the literature on suicidal behavior in adolescence is its association with the characteristics of the adolescent's family. Although empirical work clearly indicates that the family is a critical variable to consider in the study of teenage suicidal behavior, it is less clear how particular family features contribute to suicidal behavior. Three major explanations have been formulated in the family systems literature about the linkage between family factors and the adjustment of individuals: (1) Minuchin and Fishman's contention that the transgression of boundaries in the family leads to a strong effective response on the part of individual family members; (2) Bateson's work on schizophrenia that claims schizophrenia may be partly due to prolonged exposure to double bind interactions; and (3) the view that confusion of family roles associated with kinship leads to psychopathological development (Koopmans, 1992). This paper discusses the possible applicability of these three explanations to the families of teenagers who attempted suicide. Two case discussions are presented to illustrate how the three perspectives connect family characteristics to suicidal behavior. The analysis of the case discussions suggests that boundary transgression, confusion of family roles, and double bind interactions may be interrelated features in the families of teenage suicide attempters. (NB)