An analysis of all emergency department admissions in Israel classified as an attempted suicide in the years 1996-2002 was done to examine attempted suicide rates by age and gender with particular attention to adolescents and young adults. Gender differences in attempted suicide rates were significant only during adolescence and young adulthood, ages 13 to 26. The highest rate for females was 3 years earlier than the highest rate for males. The results lead to the conclusion that women do not attempt suicide more than men, except for 13-26 year olds.