Abstract: Objective To study the efficacy of medication management, symptom management and community reentry skills-training modules to prevent rural patients with schizophrenia from relapse and increase their social function.Methods 89 subjects were randomly assigned to the skills training group (45 cases) and the control group (44 cases). Both groups received the same treatments, but the skills training courses were given to the skills training group for twelve weeks when the subjects were addmitted into the trial and at their one-year follow-up timepoint respectively. And a two-year follow-up was carried out. All subjects were evaluated with PANSS, SDSS, relapse and employeement.Results 89 subjects had completed the study. The skills training group demonstrated clinical Results significantly superior to those of the control group on overall improvement according to PANSS and SDSS. Substantially, statistically significant advantages of the skills training group were related to 1) the rate of relapse (11.1% vs 31.8%), 2) the rate of employment (37.8% vs 15.9%).Conclusion Medication management, symptom management and community-re-entry skills-training modules are effective in reducing patients' psychiatric symptoms, preventing them from relapse and increasing their social function.

Key words: skills training, schizophrenia, rehabilitation, relapse, employment