Adolescent suicide has tripled in the past two decades and is considered to be a leading cause of death among America's youths. This increase has prompted much research on the assessment and prevention of adolescent suicide. Suicidologists have agreed there are no scientifically proven methods to assess which individual might attempt suicide. However, there are specific risk factors and warning signs that can provide valuable information about an adolescent's potential for suicide. The challenging task for parents, educators, physicians, mental health workers and other care givers of adolescents is to use this information to create a model for prevention of suicide that empowers at-risk youth to begin the process of healing. This paper reviews the current research on adolescent suicide, provides information about the risk factors and warning signs, discusses the clinician's role and responsibility in suicide assessment, and reviews current suicide prevention efforts. Contains 22 references. (Author)