Suicidal behavior is prevalent in schizophrenia. Although a relationship between increased awareness of illness and suicidal behavior has been posited, the question has not been systematically studied. The purpose of this study was to examine the relations between suicidal behavior and various aspects of insight in a sample of 218 patients with schizophrenia. Patients participating in the DSM IV Field Trial for Schizophrenia were studied with the Scale to assess Unawareness of Mental Disorder and an instrument developed for the field trial study that measured multiple aspects of psychopathology including suicidal behavior. The prevalence of suicidal thoughts and behavior found in this study is consistent with previous published reports. Of the 218 participants, 49 (22.4%) reported recent or current suicidal behavior while 169 (77.5%) did not. Schizophrenia patients with recurrent suicidal thoughts and behavior were generally more aware of their negative symptoms and of delusions than were the nonsuicidal patients. Contrary to expectations, awareness of having a mental disorder more generally, did not predict suicidal behavior.