Tardive dyskinesia (TD), a movement disorder characterized by involuntary tics and twitches, exacts a substantial financial toll on patients and the healthcare system.
TD "is a silent driver of healthcare costs and disability," said Jose Rubio, MD, PhD, of the Institute of Behavioral Science at Northwell Health in Manhasset, New York.
The disorder can develop after exposure to any antidopaminergic agent and occurs at a rate of approximately 4% to 8% per year in adult patients treated with first-generation antipsychotic agents, according to American Psychiatric Association (APA) guidelines.
While the risk of TD is lower with newer, second-generation agents, the threat still remains. "TD is not something from the 1980s," Rubio told MedPage Today. "It is still prevalent even with second-generation antipsychotics, stigmatized, and perhaps more under-recognized than in the 1980s."
Drivers of Healthcare Use
