Tardive dyskinesia has considerable impact on multiple domains

Tardive dyskinesia (TD) has a considerable impact on physical, psychological, social, and professional lives, according to a study published in the May/June issue of the Journal of Clinical Psychiatry.

Rakesh Jain, M.D., M.P.H., from Texas Tech University School of Medicine-Permian Basin in Midland, and colleagues examined the patient burden of TD using an online survey developed through a targeted literature review and interviews with clinicians, patients, and caregivers. Adult survey participants with current diagnoses of TD and schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, or major depressive disorder rated the impact of TD on their physical, psychological, and social functioning on Likert scales scored from 1 to 5. A total of 269 patients responded to the survey.

The researchers found that the mean impact scores reported in the physical, psychological, and social domains were 3.1, 3.5, and 3.2, respectively; scores increased with reported severity of TD symptoms. For all domains, patients with underlying schizophrenia reported the highest burden.

Activity impairment of 66.2 percent was reported by patients because of TD. Of the 193 employed patients, 29.1, 68.4, and 73.5 percent reported absenteeism, presenteeism, and overall work impairment, respectively. Due to TD, 48.4 and 39.3 percent of patients reported skipping/reducing or stopping their antipsychotic medication and 35.7 percent reported stopping visits to clinicians treating their underlying condition.

"These results reinforce the need for health care providers to assess multiple domains of impact when assessing TD movements," the authors write.