Tardive dyskinesia

Tardive dyskinesia is a disorder that causes involuntary movements, especially of the lower face. Tardive means "delayed" and dyskinesia means "abnormal movement."

• Facial grimacing
• Jaw swinging
• Repetitive chewing
• Tongue thrusting

If diagnosed early, the condition may be reversed by stopping the drug that caused the symptoms. Even if the antipsychotic drugs are stopped, the involuntary movements may become permanent and in some cases may become significantly worse.

Kompoliti K, Horn SS, eds. Drug-induced and iatrogenic neurological disorders. In: Goetz, CG, ed. Textbook of Clinical Neurology. 3rd ed. Philadelphia, Pa: Saunders Elsevier; 2007: chap 55.

Tardive Dyskinesia. In: Moore DP, Jefferson JW, eds. Handbook of Medical Psychiatry. 2nd ed. Philadelphia, Pa: Mosby Elsevier; 2004: chap 148.