A survey of the tardive dyskinesia induced by antipsychotic drugs in patients with schizophrenia.

Objective: Tardive Dyskinesia (TD), is one of the important problems of the patients with schizophrenia. The emergence of these side effects depends on so many factors such as the patients' age and the duration of antipsychotic treatment. By discovering new drugs (Atypical), there has been an outstanding decrease in the emergence of these side effects. The present study investigates the symptoms of TD in the Patients with schizophrenia who were under treatments for more than 6 months.

Method: The sample of this study was 200 Patients with schizophrenia of four wards in Razi hospital (two acute and two chronic wards) who were hospitalized in the winter of 2006 and were qualified for this study. The subjects were 101 males and 99 females who were younger than 60 and had received antipsychotic drugs for at least 6 months. After psychiatric interview and filling the demographic questionnaire by the patients, the required information about the drugs and the intensity of the symptoms was acquired. Then clinical and physical examinations of tardive dyskinesia were done. Next, the tardive dyskinesia disorders' check list (AIMS) was used. Findings of this cross-sectional, descriptive study were analyzed by SPSS.

Results: There was a high ratio of 95% between TD and the age factor (P=0.05). There was no relationship between symptoms frequency and duration of treatment (P=0.68). Facial muscles and oral zones were mostly involved in T.D disorder (72%).

Conclusion: No significant difference was observed between nine fold symptoms of T.D in patients who were using traditional drugs and those who were using the new ones (typical and atypical). Findings showed that in the intensity of the symptoms, gender does not play a major role.