Speech abnormalities in tardive dyskinesia.

The authors assessed tardive dyskinesia and the structure and physiology of speech apparatus, phonation, and articulation speech abnormalities in 27 chronically ill male psychiatric patients. Tardive dyskinesia was associated with impairment in phonation, intelligibility, and rate of speech production. Patients with and without tardive dyskinesia had similar rates of structural and physiological abnormalities of speech apparatus. The authors conclude that tardive dyskinesia is associated with substantial impairment in speech.