My son was also diagnosed with schizophrenia at the age of 23. He shot himself last January. The bullet hitting his left lung and so very thankful missing his heart. My husband an I are so thankful that medical response for him came quickly to safe him. He has been going to therapy and taking medication. I certainly can relate to other parents on this site and I know exactly how they feel. One of the most helpful things that helped me understand my son was on YouTube Inside “The Beautiful Mind” of Schizophrenia Dr. Michael DiPaolo. This explained to me and let me see how he perceives the world and why he acts certain ways or does not react to certain situations. That has helped me and my husband understand him. I continue to seek out information to help my son. Anyone who has any other suggestions please text.
glad hes safe. i drove right into a moving vehicle myself lucky to be alive, i dont even realize how lucky because of blunted emotions
Hi freundl!
Glad you found this site because this is one of the best forums going for anyone with mental illness and their caretakers.
I am so glad your son survived!! I think that is every parents nightmare. Just wondering if you belong to NAMI? They are also a great source of support. You can go online to see if there is a group in your area.
One thing to remember is that no matter what is going on inside ( or outside ) your sons head--HE is still in there. It has taken me a long time to realize this. I spent so much time fighting for him, and fighting him, trying to find cures, that I didnt listen to him-or anyone else. I was just a fighting machine.
THIS site helped me to listen more. Also the support of a sister in California.
Glad you made it here!
Hi freundl,
I am so glad your son is okay and doing better!!! My daughter self harmed, and had three suicide attempts. Brigecoment is right, it is a very traumatic thing. For a long time I woke up every day with my heart beating out of my chest wondering if she’d fatally hurt herself while I dared to sleep. Acute care facilities were just a revolving door for us, and I had to fight for her to be put in a residential until she quit with the self harm. She is so much better now. We do have a lot of unique things in common as parents of someone with a serious mental illness that other people would have a hard time understanding.
Welcome to the forum @freundl
I’m sorry this happened to your son. 
I found these links helpful in understanding and coping:
http://www.leapinstitute.org/ - under resources are free videos on using LEAP
LEAP is a way of communicating to build trust. Listen-Empathize-Agree-Partner.
http://dramador.com/ - Dr. Xavier Amador is a clinical psychologist whose brother had schizophrenia. He is the founder of the LEAP Institute. Wrote the book: I’m Not Sick I Don’t Need Help! Can buy from his website.
Search Xavier Amador and LEAP on youtube.com and you should find some long videos
Treatment Advocacy Center - under problems you will see anosognosia
Anosognosia looks like denial but is different.
Bayes for Schizophrenics: Reasoning in Delusional Disorders - LessWrong - helped my understand delusions
http://www.nami.org/ - National Alliance on Mental Illness.
http://www.schizophrenia.ca/ - Schizophrenia Society of Canada
Can also find some very useful information here:
I think that you may want to create a peaceful and calming environment for your son so that there would not be these little triggers that can cause sz to react negatively, you can not do anything about voices that your son may have expect to help him to take meds regularly, once I really tried to hurt myself very badly, but those were activities of the past as this happened years ago, I hope you can succeed with you son.
Your experience is hard to even contemplate. I am sorry this has happened to you and your son and I pray he gets better.