Tardive dyskinesia: update for the mental health administrator

In addition to the fact that TD is not dissipating and that short of a quality TD monitoring system the mental health administrator is rolling the dice regarding patient welfare and successful litigation, the administrator should be aware of several important auxillary issues. These issues are written informed consent (for the use of psychotropic medication) and minimal effective dose (for the psychotropic medication prescribed). It is likely the quality of a facility's practices and policy in these areas will come under scrutiny at some point, especially if TD is involved. The purpose of this article, therefore, is two-fold. The first is to update the administrator on TD and the related issues of informed consent and minimal effective dose. The second is to briefly outline applied policies the administrator may implement to address these issues. While the administrator will delegate the detailed development of such policies, it is critical he or she back such policies and be able to ascertain if the concepts and procedures incorporated serve the patient and protect the facility. Only then can the administrator delegate valuable monetary resources and properly exert effective personnel influence.