Journal of International Psychiatry

[Abstract] Objective To explore the clinical efficacy of sodium valproate combined with clozapine in the treatment of male refractory schizophrenia (TRS) with agitation behavior. Methods Eighty male patients with TRS and agitation behavior from March 2022 to March 2024 were divided into two groups using the random number table method. The control group was treated with clozapine, while the observation group was treated with a combination of sodium valproate. The mental symptoms, agitation behavior, and adverse reactions during medication before and after treatment were compared. Results After treatment, the general psychopathology, positive and negative symptom scores of both groups of patients decreased, but the observation group had lower scores than the control group in all aspects (P<0.05). After treatment, both groups showed a decrease in agitated behavior score, but the observation group had lower scores than the control group (P<0.05). There was no statistically significant difference in the Treatment Emergency Symptom Scale (TESS) scores between the two groups at 2, 4, and 8 weeks of treatment (P>0.05). Conclusion The combination of sodium valproate and clozapine in the treatment of male TRS patients can improve short-term clinical efficacy, reduce agitation behavior, and not increase adverse reactions.

Key words Sodium Valproate; Clozapine; Male; Difficult to Treat Schizophrenia; Provocative Behavior