Diazepam in the treatment of tardive dyskinesia. Preliminary observations.

Three patients, aged 23-33 years, with the diagnosis of schizophrenia, developed symptoms of tardive dyskinesia while receiving neuroleptic treatment, mostly with haloperidol. Existential problems and emotional upset seemed contributory. Diazepam was found effective in controlling dyskinesia. Its therapeutic effect seemed not to be related to sedation. Some implications of the reported observations are mentioned.