Gary Remafedi of the University of Minnesota's department of pediatrics
 analyzed data from an Adolescent Health Survey given to more than
 36,000 middle and high school students statewide in 1987. 

 He and his colleagues randomly selected 394 youths -- 212 boys and 182
 girls -- who described themselves as gay or bisexual and matched their
 responses to 336 straight students. The frequency of suicidal thoughts and
 suicide attempts was then compared. 

 The Post says researchers found 28.1 percent of boys who identified
 themselves as gay or bisexual reported making at least one suicide attempt,
 compared to 4.2 percent for heterosexual males. 20.5 percent of girls who
 identified themselves as lesbians made at least one attempt at suicide
 compared to 14.5 percent for heterosexual females. 

 Remafedi and his coauthors, whose finding was reported in the January
 issue of the American Journal of Public Health, advise doctors to consider
 sexual orientation as a factor in making a clinical assessment about
 whether a youth is a suicide risk.