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This prospective study examined the effect of medication compliance and substance abuse on 4 year outcome in 99 patients following a relapse of schizophrenia. Univariate survival analysis revealed longer community tenure in patients if they were over the age of 35 years, not admitted 2 years prior to the index episode, remained medication compliant and did not abuse substances during the follow-up interval. Comparisons between patients grouped according to medication compliance and current substance abuse indicated that those patients who regularly took their medication but also abused substances were readmitted to hospital sooner (median survival, 10 months) compared to compliant patients who did not use substances (37 months). For noncompliant patients, time to first readmission was shorter for patients with a dual diagnosis (5 months) compared to patients with a singular diagnosis of …