Tardive dyskinesia and hospital discharge

Two hundred ninety-three schizophrenic inpatients were rated for dyskinetic movements on the Abnormal Involuntary Movement Scale (AIMS). Two years later, discharge status on 265 of these patients was related to the AIMS ratings. Results indicated that the discharge group had significantly lower AIMS ratings than the nondischarged group. The effect was not an artifact of age but was evident across nearly all age groups. The groups were also different on length of current hospitalization, age at time of first psychiatric hospitalization, and time since first psychiatric hospitalization. Possible reasons for the results are discussed, including the development of functional deficits, stigmatization, and tardive psychosis, as well as the possible association between tardive dyskinesia, discharge, and treatment refractoriness.