Open Trial of the Addition of Divalproex Sodium for Improving the Symptoms of Batak and Non-Batak Males with Schizophrenia in North Sumatra, Indonesia

Ethnicity is one of many intrinsic factors influencing the drug response and its severity in patients with schizophrenia. In North Sumatera, Indonesia, information is very limited on the effect of divalproex sodium in Batak and non-Batak tribes. The study aimed to investigate differences in positive and negative syndrome scale (PANSS) scores between Batak and non-Batak males with schizophrenia receiving risperidone treatment alone or in combination with divalproex sodium. This open trial experimental study was conducted on 60 Batak and non-Batak male subjects with schizophrenia. The doses of divalproex sodium and risperidone were 1500 mg and 6 mg, respectively. The sample was obtained from Prof. Dr. M. Ildrem Psychiatric Hospital, North Sumatra, Indonesia, in a span of six months from September 2017 to February 2018. The mini international statistical classification of diseases-10 (Mini ICD-10) structured interviews were used for diagnosis. There were no differences between the Batak and Non-Batak groups in the PANSS positive subscale score (P = 0.766), PANSS negative subscale score (P = 0.789), and PANSS total score (P = 0.673) in six weeks of observation. There were no significant differences in the PANSS scores between males with schizophrenia from Batak and non-Batak tribes who received risperidone monotherapy or combined with divalproex sodium.