The Social Behaviour Schedule (SBS) was examined as a measure of disability in a series of 66 chronic psychiatric patients, who were also assessed using the Social Role Performance Schedule (SRP) and the ninth edition of the Present State Examination (PSE). All three schedules have been used in previous studies in their present form. SBS and SRP measures were correlated with each other and neither showed any relationship with subjectively described current PSE symptoms. SBS deficit was associated with a clinical diagnosis of schizophrenia and with problems in supervised occupational activity. Long-term hospital residents showed greater SBS deficit than chronic patients in active rehabilitation programmes, although impaired SRP was the major correlate with the type of supervision provided. SRP measures can be compared with population norms, unlike measures derived from the SBS, which cover more severe ranges of disability.