Written by the Fiveable Content Team โข Last updated September 2025
Verified for the 2026 exam
Verified for the 2026 examโขWritten by the Fiveable Content Team โข Last updated September 2025
Definition
Tardive dyskinesia is a side effect often caused by long-term use of neuroleptic drugs, which are used to treat psychiatric disorders. It involves involuntary movements, especially in lower face muscles.
Related terms
Neuroleptics/Antipsychotics: These are medications used primarily to manage psychosis including delusions, hallucinations or disordered thought โ they're like antivirus software trying to fix glitches in our brains.
Parkinsonโs Disease: A disorder characterized by motor symptoms such as tremors or shaking hands; it's another example where our bodies have 'glitches', but this time it's due to a problem in the brain itself, not medication.
Dystonia: This is a movement disorder where your muscles contract involuntarily - think of it as another 'glitch' causing unwanted pop-ups on your phone.