Suicide attempters and completers differ in terms of sociodemographic and clinical correlates: young females with personality or adjustment disorders for attempters and older males with affective or psychotic disorders for completers. Most accepted nomenclatures have now extended suicidal behaviors to suicide ideation (SI), instrumental suicide-related behavior (ISRB), and suicide attempt with or without injuries (SAWI -SAWOI). We have tried to determine if such differences may apply to the newest suicidal behavior nomenclatures. Data on 2585 suicidal presentations to general hospitals in Oviedo, Madrid and Tenerife were collected through monitoring systems in each centre as part of the National Suicide Network (ReNEPCA). Suicidal behaviors were classified following O'Carroll et al's 1 NIMH approved nomenclature. Chi-square and ANOVA tests were performed. The classic different profile of an older male in severe suicide attempts vs. other behaviours is confirmed in our study. The higher prevalence of personality disorders in patients with suicidal ideation was not expected but it is consistent with the higher prevalence of previous attempts found in the same group. The classic feature of the young female suicide attempter fits better with the instrumental suicide-related behavior. Beyond the tower of Babel: A nomenclature for suicidology. Suicide and Life-Threatening Behavior 26:237–252 Differences were observed in variables such as sex (p<0,001): SAWI were more frequent males (55,5%) while the rest of suicidal behaviors were more frequent females (ISRB 68,2%; SAWOI 60,0%; SI 56,8%); age (p<0,001): mean age was higher in SAWI (40,65), SI (36,8), SAWOI (36,16) and lower in IRSB (32,57); previous attempts (p<0,001): more frequent in SI (71,1%), SAWOI (65,2%), SAWI (61,7%) and less frequent in IRSB (53,1%); and ICD-10 diagnosis (p<0,001): the most frequent ICD-10 diagnosis for SI was personality disorder (44,4%), for IRSB was anxiety disorder -including adjustment disorders-(38,3%), and for SAWOI and SAWI was affective disorder (30,9% and 42,2%).