Tardive dyskinesia in depressed patients: Successful therapy with antidepressants and lithium

Abstract

Depression appears to be common in patients with tardive dyskinesia (TD), and we hypothesized that this refractory movement disorder might respond to antidepressant treatment. We treated 19 TD patients with tricyclic antidepressant therapy supplemented within two to three weeks with lithium carbonate. All patients fulfilled the Research Diagnostic Criteria for major depressive disorder, although seven of them denied being dys phoric. The Abnormal Involuntary Movement Scale and the Hamilton Rating Scale were used to measure dyskinesia and de pression, respectively. Of the 19 patients, 11 (58%) experienced moderate or marked improvement in both dyskinesia and de pression. The authors conclude that treatment with a tricyclic antidepressant and lithium may alleviate tardive dyskinesia in patients with depressive symptoms.