Texas A&M University (TAMU) Commerce Social Work (SW) Comprehensive Clinical Practice Test

Tardive dyskinesia is a movement disorder that develops with chronic use of dopamine receptor–blocking antipsychotics. The brain adapts to long-term blockade, and involuntary movements—often of the facial muscles, tongue, and sometimes limbs—can emerge after months or years of treatment. A crucial point for understanding this condition is that stopping the medication does not reliably resolve the symptoms; in many people TD persists for a long time and can be irreversible. Misconception that it always goes away after stopping is not correct. It is indeed linked to long-term antipsychotic use, and it may persist even after medication is stopped.