Strategies for Successfully Diagnosing and Treating Tardive Dyskinesia: Enlisting the Help of Caregivers, Improving the Lives of Patients

At any given time, roughly 1 of every 4 patients taking antipsychotics experiences tardive dyskinesia (TD), a debilitating condition characterized by involuntary movements of the tongue, lips, face, trunk, and extremities. Fortunately, effective pharmacologic treatments for TD are now available. However, it can be challenging for clinicians to assess patients for TD, keep up to date on new agents, and create personalized treatment plans that facilitate long-term treatment success. In this activity, an expert faculty member will discuss the burden of TD on patients and their caregivers; TD risk factors; TD assessment and diagnosis strategies, including for virtual visits; and TD prevention and treatment options. Throughout, approaches for optimizing TD diagnosis and treatment by engaging caregivers in the therapeutic alliance will be discussed. Three videos will be used to illustrate the patient perspective on TD, the caregiver perspective on TD, and an expert’s approach to TD screening and monitoring.