The long-term effect of lithium carbonate on tardive dyskinesia.

Lithium carbonate has been used in the treatment of tardive dyskinesia (TD) with conflicting results. In this study, six patients with a diagnosis of manic depressive illness were followed in the Affective Disorders Clinic of Douglas Hospital for one year. None of the patients showed improvement of their TD in this study. Possible reasons for this lack of response are discussed.