Tardive dyskinesia A task force of the American Psychiatric Association re<;ently reported on tardive dyskinesia. which occurs in 10·20 % of patients given antipsychotic drugs for a year or more. The dyskinesia.,>_ which may be isolated or widespread and (rarely) dh;abling. appear after months or years on lhe drug and often WOnten while withdrawing it. Although most patients subsequently improve within several months. some may take 1·2 years. The deveiopmem oflardivc dyskinesia is not nea!ssarily determined by the type of antipsycholic drug. dosage. or duration of exposure. but older people and women seem more at risk. There is no effective treatment for the condition and although theoretically it is best to stop the drug. this may not be appropriate if the patient's psychosis is active. Instead, the incidence ofthis reaction should be minimised by onty using antipsychotic drugs short term for acute psychosis, some cases of toxic or organic psychosis, childhood psychoses and adjunctively in psychotic depression. They should only be used for more than 6 months in chronic psychotic patients (chiefly schizophrenics) who deteriorate when treatment is stopped periodically. Editorial: Brit~~h Medial Journal 2112: 1257 (I g Apr 191111