Antipsychotic-Induced Movement Disorder: Screening via Telemental Health

The purpose of this brief report is to make clinical and research recommendations to advance current knowledge and practices related to the assessment of antipsychotic drug-induced movement disorders (DIMDs) via live interactive videoconferencing.

The authors provide an overview of the frequent neurological side effects of antipsychotic drugs and review relevant telemedicine research. DIMD prevention is critical, but these disorders remain underdetected and under-reported. Although there are not yet formal recommendations for specific screening tools or screening frequency, baseline and annual assessments are generally agreed-upon minimums. As DIMD awareness increases and more specific guidelines are developed to steer assessments, telemental health may aid practitioners in efficiently and regularly monitoring onset and severity. Research shows that videoconferencing can be used for effective psychiatric treatments and assessment, with at least one study validating the use of videoconference assessment for a subset of movement disorders.

Clinical recommendations include developing practice-level protocols and procedures that include regular DIMD assessment (either in-person or via telemedicine) for the full spectrum of possible movement disorders for all patients taking antipsychotic medications. Research and evaluation recommendations include replicating and expanding upon the existing study using videoconferencing to assess movement disorder symptoms, using asynchronous telemental health assessments of DIMDs, and pilot-testing facial and movement recognition software to allow for clinical comparison of patients' movement patterns over time.