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Updated: Aug 11, 2026

Handwriting Analysis Indicates Spontaneous Dyskinesias in Neuroleptic Naïve Adolescents at High Risk for Psychosis
Published on: November 21, 2013
Focus on lower risk of tardive dyskinesia with atypical antipsychotics
1Departments of Psychiatry, Neurology, and Neuroscience, University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, Cincinnati, OH, USA.
Background:
Tardive dyskinesia (TD) is one of the most serious iatrogenic neurological complications of the first-generation antipsychotics. Identifying the risk factors for TD is important to minimize the risk of this potentially irreversible movement disorder in susceptible populations.
Methods:
A Medline search was conducted for the literature on risk factors for TD with the first-generation antipsychotics, as well as the emerging literature of the lower risk of TD with the second-generation antipsychotics.
Results:
Several demographic, phenomenological, comorbidities and treatment variables have been reported to be associated with higher risk of TD. On the other hand, significantly lower rates of TD have been reported with the second-generation atypical antipsychotics, even in high risk groups such as the elderly.
Conclusions:
The use of the second-generation antipsychotics as first-line treatment of psychosis appears to have lowered the overall prevalence of acute movement disorders as well as TD, and have led them to become the standard of care in part because of their safer extrapyramidal profiles.
Insights
First-generation antipsychotics increase tardive dyskinesia (TD) risk, a serious neurological complication. Second-generation antipsychotics show a lower TD risk, becoming the preferred treatment due to safer profiles.
Area of Science:
- Neurology
- Psychiatry
- Pharmacology
Background:
- Tardive dyskinesia (TD) is a severe iatrogenic neurological complication linked to first-generation antipsychotics.
- Identifying TD risk factors is crucial for managing this irreversible movement disorder.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review risk factors associated with TD.
- To examine the reduced risk of TD with second-generation antipsychotics.
Main Methods:
- A Medline literature search was performed.
- The search focused on risk factors for TD with first-generation antipsychotics and the emerging data on second-generation antipsychotics.
Main Results:
- Demographic, phenomenological, comorbidity, and treatment variables are associated with increased TD risk.
- Second-generation antipsychotics demonstrate significantly lower TD rates, even in elderly populations.
Conclusions:
- Second-generation antipsychotics are now the standard of care for psychosis.
- Their use has reduced the prevalence of acute movement disorders and TD due to safer extrapyramidal profiles.
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