Review of Incidence Studies of Tardive Dyskinesia Associated With Typical Antipsychotics

Unless researchers make an organized effort, patients with tardive dyskinesia are difficult to studyand easily lost to follow up. Because there is no treatment for tardive dyskinesia, investigators areobliged to study the natural history of the disorder and identify risk and prognostic factors to furtherunderstand pathophysiologic mechanisms and to guide prevention and treatment efforts. Abundantvariability exists among incidence studies of tardive dyskinesia, depending to some extent on designissues. In this article, the design concepts of incidence and prevalence studies are described, alongwith results, methodological problems, and identified risk factors in various tardive dyskinesia incidencestudies involving the use of typical antipsychotic medications.