Screening for tardive dyskinesia.

A program of routine Abnormal Involuntary Movement Scale (AIMS) examinations is contrasted with a referral system for detection of tardive dyskinesia in an outpatient schizophrenia clinic. Routine clinical use of the AIMS examination may have improved the early detection of tardive dyskinesia, which could result in a decrease in the morbidity associated with this disorder. Routine AIMS examinations also facilitated repeat discussions with patients about tardive dyskinesia, which provide an opportunity to obtain ongoing informed consent for treatment with neuroleptics.