Schizoaffective disorder is a common, severe, and lifelong illness; however, little is known about the pharmacologic treatment of this
mental disorder.
Divalproex has proven efficacy in the treatment of
bipolar disorder. Therefore, to determine whether
divalproex is also effective as adjunctive
therapy for
schizoaffective disorder, the authors performed a retrospective study of 20 patients in the public mental health system with
schizoaffective disorder, bipolar type, who initiated
divalproex therapy. The mean maximum dose of
divalproex (+/-1 SD) was 1,150 mg (+/-400 mg; range, 500-2,000). The mean peak serum
valproic acid level was 61 microg/mL (+/-25 microg/mL; range, 20-92). The overall improvement in Clinical Global Impression Scale scores was observed in 75% (15/20) of the patients (p = 0.0001). None in the sample worsened, and none discontinued
divalproex because of side effects. These data suggest that
divalproex is well-tolerated and effective as treatment of persistent
schizoaffective disorder, bipolar type. Thus,
divalproex may be an effective agent in the treatment of
schizoaffective disorder as well as
bipolar disorder. Controlled prospective trials in patients with
schizoaffective disorder are needed to verify these findings.