Public Mental Hospitals Research Articles

An analysis of demographic, socio-economic and clinical variables for mental illness and mental illness relapse in south-east nigeria

Mental health has come into the front burner of development challenges amid declining socio-economic outcomes, especially in developing countries. Insecurity, conflicts and extremely threatening events, which trigger mental disorders, are common in South-East Nigeria, with many military operations, unknown gunmen attacks and kidnapping leading to the cold-blood assassination and kidnap of dear ones. The study aimed to analyze the demographic, socio-economic and clinical variables for mental illness in South-East Nigeria. Consecutive sampling technique was used to obtain a three-year records of the cases of 380 index and 180 post-index points data of mental illness cases that met the inclusion criteria in a purposively selected public mental health hospital. Data were analyzed using both descriptive and inferential statistics, including frequency count, percentages, chi-square and multinomial logistic regression. Results showed that over a half (55.0%) of the patients were males, and 65.27% had post-primary education. The mean age of patients was 39.87 years. Slightly above half of the cases (55.26%) were single and 56.84% were unemployed. Schizophrenia (68.42%) topped the list of the cases. The rate of relapse was 52.1%, with males being in the majority (61.62%). About 61.62% of those who relapsed were unemployed, 9.60% were into business/trading, and 5.05% were professionals. Those with 5 years and above illness duration had a higher percentage of relapse (52.02%) as well as those with poor drug compliance (66.16%). The mean relapse age was 34.23 years. Educational status, employment status/social class, marital status, and age were socio-economic/clinical factors that associated strongly with relapse at p-value of 0.10. Patients with ≥ 5 and ≤ 3 years duration of illness were 1.17 times on the average more likely to have relapse than those with three or less than 3 years. Onset age for illness predicted 2.479 times more likelihood of relapse. Being employed and having more family support, as against being unskilled/unemployed and not having family support, reduce the likelihood of relapse by 1.110 times on the average. The study recommended policy formulation and implementation for protection against mental illness and mental healthcare provision and access; for tackling unemployment head-on; for improvement of the access to effective treatment of mental illness; and mass education, especially among unemployed, uneducated, singles, and under-35 years of age, to help reduce the high rate of relapse of mental illness in South-East Nigeria.

Prescribing patterns for older-age bipolar disorder patients discharged from two public mental hospitals in Taiwan, 2006-2019.

Older-age bipolar disorder (OABD) is commonly defined as bipolar disorder in individuals aged 60 or more. There have been no studies to examine temporal trends in the pharmacological treatment of OABD. We aimed to investigate prescription changes among OABD patients discharged from two public mental hospitals in Taiwan from 2006 to 2019. OABD patients discharged from the two study hospitals, from 1 January 2006 to 31 December 2019 (n = 1072), entered the analysis. Prescribed drugs at discharge, including mood stabilisers (i.e., lithium, valproate, carbamazepine, and lamotrigine), antipsychotics (i.e., second- and first-generation antipsychotics (SGAs and FGAs)), and antidepressants, were investigated. Complex polypharmacy was defined as the use of three or more agents among the prescribed drugs. Temporal trends of each prescribing pattern were analyzed using the Cochran-Armitage Trend test. The most commonly prescribed drugs were SGAs (72.0%), followed by valproate (48.4%) and antidepressants (21.7%). The prescription rates of SGAs, antidepressants, antidepressants without mood stabilisers, and complex polypharmacy significantly increased over time, whereas the prescription rates of mood stabilisers, lithium, FGAs, and antidepressants plus mood stabilisers significantly decreased. Prescribing patterns changed remarkably for OABD patients over a 14-year period. The decreased use of lithium and increased use of antidepressants did not reflect bipolar treatment guidelines. Future research should examine whether such prescribing patterns are associated with adverse clinical outcomes.

Coping with the stigma of mental illness: An interpretive descriptive study of out‐patients in a public mental health hospital in Ghana

Coping with the stigma of mental illness: An interpretive descriptive study of out‐patients in a public mental health hospital in Ghana

Factors associated with involuntary mental healthcare in New South Wales, Australia.

There is uncertainty about factors associated with involuntary in-patient psychiatric care. Understanding these factors would help in reducing coercion in psychiatry. To explore variables associated with involuntary care in the largest database of involuntary admissions published. We identified 166 102 public mental health hospital admissions over 5 years in New South Wales, Australia. Demographic, clinical and episode-of-care variables were examined in an exploratory, multivariable logistic regression. A total of 54% of eligible admissions included involuntary care. The strongest associations with involuntary care were referral from the legal system (odds ratio 4.98, 95% CI 4.61-5.38), and psychosis (odds ratio 4.48, 95% CI 4.31-4.64) or organic mental disorder (odds ratio 4.40, 95% CI 3.85-5.03). There were moderately strong associations between involuntary treatment and substance use disorder (odds ratio 2.68, 95% CI 2.56-2.81) or affective disorder (odds ratio 2.06, 95% CI 1.99-2.14); comorbid cannabis and amphetamine use disorders (odds ratio 1.65, 95% CI 1.57-1.74); unmarried status (odds ratio 1.62, 95% CI 1.49-1.76) and being born in Asia (odds ratio 1.42, 95% CI 1.35-1.50), Africa or the Middle East (odds ratio 1.32, 95% CI 1.24-1.40). Involuntary care was less likely for people aged >75 years (odds ratio 0.68, 95% CI 0.62-0.74), with comorbid personality disorder (odds ratio 0.90, 95% CI 0.87-0.94) or with private health insurance (odds ratio 0.89, 95% CI 0.86-0.93). This research strengthens the evidence linking diagnostic, socioeconomic and cultural factors to involuntary treatment. Targeted interventions are needed to reduce involuntary admissions in disadvantaged groups.

P31: Prescribing patterns for older age bipolar disorder patients discharged from two public mental hospitals in Taiwan, 2006-2019

Objective:Older age bipolar disorder (OABD) is commonly defined as bipolar disorder in individuals aged 60 or more. General principles of pharmacotherapy in guidelines for treating OABD are greatly like those for younger adults. We aimed to investigate prescription changes among OABD patients discharged from two public mental hospitals in Taiwan from 2006 to 2019.Methods:OABD patients discharged from the two study hospitals, from 1 January 2006 to 31 December 2019 (n = 1072), entered the analysis. Prescribed drugs at discharge, including mood stabilizers (i.e., lithium, valproate, carbamazepine, and lamotrigine), antipsychotics (i.e., second- and first-generation antipsychotics; SGAs & FGAs), and antidepressants, were investigated. Complex polypharmacy was defined as the use of 3 or more agents among the prescribed drugs. Temporal trends of each prescribing pattern were analyzed using the Cochran-Armitage Trend test.Results:The most commonly prescribed drugs were SGAs (72.0%), followed by valproate (48.4%) and antidepressants (21.7%). The prescription rates of SGAs, antidepressants, antidepressants without mood stabilizers, and complex polypharmacy significantly increased over time, whereas the prescription rates of mood stabilizers, lithium, FGAs, and antidepressants plus mood stabilizers significantly decreased.Conclusion:Prescribing patterns changed remarkably for OABD patients over a 14- year period. The decreased use of lithium and increased use of antidepressants did not reflect bipolar treatment guidelines. Future research should examine whether such prescribing patterns are associated with adverse clinical outcomes.

Suicidal behavior among inpatients with severe mental conditions in a public mental health hospital in Uganda

BackgroundSuicidal behaviors are prevalent among inpatients with severe mental conditions and may result in many dying by suicide. Few studies have focused on the burden of suicidal behaviors among these inpatients in low-income settings, despite suicide being consistently higher in lower-income countries such as Uganda. This study, therefore, provides the prevalence and associated factors of suicidal behaviors and suicide attempts among inpatients with severe mental conditions in Uganda.MethodThis was a retrospective chart review of all individuals admitted with severe mental conditions to a large psychiatry inpatient unit in Uganda for four years (2018–2021). Two separate logistic regressions were conducted to determine the factors associated with suicidal behaviors or suicidal attempts among the admitted individuals.ResultsThe prevalence of suicidal behavior and suicidal attempts among 3104 (mean age = 33, Standard deviation [SD] = 14.0; 56% were males) were 6.12% and 3.45%, respectively. Having a diagnosis of depression increased the likelihood of both suicidal behaviors (adjusted odds ratio [aOR]: 5.36; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 2.14–13.37; p =0.001) and attempts (aOR: 10.73; 95% CI: 3.44–33.50; p < 0.001). However, a diagnosis of substance-related disorder increased the likelihood of having attempted suicide (aOR: 4.14; 95% CI: 1.21–14.15; p = 0.023). The likelihood of having suicidal behavior decreased as one increased in age (aOR: 0.97; 95% CI: 0.94–0.99; p = 0.006) and increased among individuals reporting stress from financial constraints (aOR: 2.26; 95% CI: 1.05–4.86; p = 0.036).ConclusionSuicidal behaviors are common among inpatients managed for severe mental health conditions in Uganda, especially those with substance use and depressive disorders. In addition, financial stressors are a main predictor in this low-income country. Therefore, regular screening for suicide behaviors is warranted, especially among individuals with depression, and substance use, among those who are young, and among those reporting financial constraints/stress.

Cost of implementing the QualityRights programme in public hospitals in Gujarat providing mental healthcare.

Investment in mental health is quite meagre worldwide, including in India. The costs of new interventions must be clarified to ensure the appropriate utilization of available resources. The government of Gujarat implemented QualityRights intervention at six public mental health hospitals. This study was aimed to project the costs of scaling up of the Gujarat QualityRights intervention to understand the additional resources needed for a broader implementation. Economic costs of the QualityRights intervention were calculated using an ingredients-based approach from the health systems' perspective. Major activities within the QualityRights intervention included assessment visits, meetings, training of trainers, provision of peer support and onsite training. Total costs of implementing the QualityRights intervention varied from Indian Rupees (₹) 0.59 million to ₹ 2.59 million [1United States Dollars (US $) = ₹ 74.132] across six intervention sites at 2020 prices with 69-79 per cent of the cost being time cost. Scaling up the intervention to the entire State of Gujarat would require about two per cent increase in financial investment, or about 7.5 per cent increase in total cost including time costs over and above the costs of usual care for people with mental health conditions in public health facilities across the State. The findings of this study suggest that human resources were the major cost contributor of the programme. Given the shortage of trained human resources in the mental health sector, appropriate planning during the scale-up phase of the QualityRights intervention is required to ensure all staff members receive the required training, and the treatment is not compromised during this training phase. As only about two per cent increase in financial cost can improve the quality of mental healthcare significantly, the State government can plan for its scale-up across the State.

Fourteen‐year trends in the prescribing patterns of pediatric bipolar patients discharged from two public mental hospitals in Taiwan

The management of pediatric bipolar disorder (PBD) requires pharmacotherapy to control acute symptoms, reduce relapse, prevent suicide, and improve psychosocial functioning. The purpose of this study was to investigate prescribing patterns among PBD patients discharged from two public mental hospitals in Taiwan, from 2006 to 2019. PBD patients discharged from the two study hospitals, from 1 January 2006 to 31 December 2019 (n=420), were included in the analysis. Prescribed drugs at discharge, including mood stabilizers (i.e., lithium, valproate, carbamazepine, and lamotrigine), antipsychotics (i.e., second- and first-generation antipsychotics, SGAs and FGAs), and antidepressants, were explored. Complex polypharmacy was defined as the use of 3 or more agents among the prescribed drugs. Time trends of each prescribing pattern were analyzed using the Cochran-Armitage Trend test. The most commonly prescribed psychotropic agents were SGAs (76.0%), followed by valproate (65.7%) and FGAs (24.8%). The prescription rates of SGAs, antidepressants, antidepressant plus antipsychotic, and antidepressant without mood stabilizer significantly increased over time, whereas the prescription rates of mood stabilizers, lithium, and FGAs significantly decreased. Prescribing patterns changed greatly for PBD patients over time. However, much more evidence supporting the effectiveness of psychotropic agents in PBD patients is required.

Case report on postpartum psychosis

Background: Postpartum psychosis is a dangerous mental health condition that can occur soon after giving birth. After giving delivery, it affects around 1 in 500 moms. Postpartum psychosis has a multifaceted cause. History of bipolar illness, previous pregnancy with postpartum psychosis, a family history of psychosis or bipolar disorder, a history of schizoaffective disorder or schizophrenia, and the withdrawal of psychiatric drugs during pregnancy are all risk factors. Aim : The purpose of this case report is to establish the first line of therapy for a woman who has been sent to a public mental health hospital for treatment of postpartum psychosis. Objective : To identify symptoms of postpartum psychosis early, provide treatment and prevent possible complications. Method : This case description’s knowledge was obtained through PubMed outlets, search hand, exploring college and personal libraries for research methodologies and case report texts, and engaging in or creating numerous case reports with experience. Result : The patient was taken psychopharmacological treatment with Antipsychotic drugs Aripiprazole along Benzodiazepines tab. Clonazepam with Anti-depressant tab. Nexito and for hypothyroidism tan. Northyx and psychosocial therapy, coping strategies, family therapy, yoga, cognitive behavioral therapy, and medication. After those symptoms were minimized. Conclusion : Clients attain excellent results with therapeutic management, adaptability, and family support. Following adequate psychophysiological treatment, the client responded positively, and all of the specified goals were progressively attained. Finally, the client was released and is now being watched.

Distress and Well-Being Among Psychiatric Patients in the Aftermath of the First COVID-19 Lockdown in Israel: A Longitudinal Study.

Objectives: Studies assessing the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on psychiatric patients have mostly focused on cross-sectional evaluations of differences in levels of distress. In this study, we aimed to assess changes in distress and well-being following the COVID-19 pandemic outbreak as compared with pre-pandemic levels, as well as potential predictors of symptomatic deterioration, among psychiatric outpatients treated in a public mental health hospital in Israel. Methods: Patients evaluated for distress and well-being before the pandemic (n = 55) were re-evaluated at the end of the first lockdown in Israel. Results: Analyses revealed a significant decrease in the patients’ sense of personal growth. Increases in distress were significantly associated with fear of COVID-19 beyond patient characteristics. Conclusion: These results suggest that the pandemic has a short-term effect on patients’ well-being, and that fear of the pandemic is associated with elevations in distress.

Patients’ satisfaction with psychiatric nursing care in Benin, Nigeria

In many low-middle income countries including Nigeria, shortage of psychiatric nurses and adverse working conditions, potentially impairs quality of nursing care provided. Quality of care may influence uptake of available mental health care services. This study was aimed at assessing level of psychiatric patients’ satisfaction with nursing care in one of two public mental health hospitals in South-South Nigeria. Study design was cross-sectional descriptive, with use of simple random sampling technique to recruit patients from Federal Neuropsychiatric Hospital, Benin, Edo State, Nigeria. Data analysis was done using SPSS version 21, with chi-square as inferential statistic, and p-value set at 0.05. One hundred and eighty-five (185) respondents were surveyed, with mean age of 36.3 ± 10.1 years. Common psychiatric diagnoses were schizophrenia (40.0%) and depression (34.1%). Mean satisfaction was 3.53 ± 0.69 ranging from 1.6 to 5.0. There was 52.4% prevalence of satisfaction and 47.6% prevalence of dissatisfaction with nursing care provided. Common areas of dissatisfaction were privacy nurses gave (61.1%), nurses’ willingness to respond to subjects’ needs (55.7%), and nurses’ awareness of subject’s needs (55.1%). Common areas of satisfaction were nurses putting relatives’ mind to rest (61.6%), nurses’ capability at their job (60.5%). Dissatisfaction was significantly commoner among males and those diagnosed with depression and bipolar affective disorder (p < 0.05). This study identified key areas of dissatisfaction and satisfaction with mental health nursing services in a low-middle-income country setting. Psychiatric nurses need to be aware of these areas, towards optimization of mental healthcare provision peculiar to their settings.

Hospital and patient factors influencing the health status among patients with schizophrenia, thirty days after hospital discharge: multi-level analysis

BackgroundThe time between discharge from hospital and transition to community and home is a critical period for health status among patients with a mental illness, including patients with schizophrenia. This study aimed to investigate crucial patient factors (patient-level) and hospital factors (hospital-level) affecting health status and see whether patient factor effects on health status vary with hospital factors, 30 days after hospital discharge.MethodsThis is a prospective study of 1255 patients with schizophrenia and their primary caregivers from 13 public mental hospitals across Thailand. Logistic regression and multi-level logistic regression was used to investigate the effects of patient and hospital factors simultaneously on health status, 30 days after hospital discharge.ResultsThe intraclass correlation coefficient indicated that 14% of the change in health status was explained by the differences between hospital. Poor health status was identified in 14.26% of patients, 30 days after hospital discharge. The majority of participant patients were male (69.8%), single (71.87%), and the average age was 38.09 (SD = 9.74). The finding also showed that the patient factors; being female (ORadj .53, 95%CI .31,.92), perceived moderate and high levels of positive aspect of caregiving (ORadj .24, 95%CI .14,.42 and ORadj .05, 95%CI .02,.09), perceived readiness for hospital discharge (ORadj .21, 95%CI .13,.33), partial and full adherence to treatment (ORadj .24, 95%CI .14,.42 and ORadj .31, 95%CI .20,.47) showed a reduced likelihood of developing poor health status except substance use (ORadj 1.55, 95%CI .98, 2.44). Hospital factors; discharge planning process and nurse-patient ratio (ORadj 1.64, 95%CI 1.17, 2.30 and ORadj 1.16, 95%CI 1.09, 1.22) showed an increased likelihood of developing poor health status, 30 days after hospital discharge.ConclusionsFindings provide relevant information on how both patient and hospital factors determine health status. These results might lead to better targeting of mental health service policy and enable more precise information gathering and allocation of resources. However, future research should be more focused and continue investigating the pathways through which hospital factors influence health status post-discharge.

Symptomatic remission affects employment outcomes in schizophrenia patients

BackgroundRemission criteria were proposed by Andreasen et al. for classifying patients with schizophrenia according to the severity of psychopathology. Up to the present time, there have been no cohort studies exploring the association between remission status and employment outcomes in patients with schizophrenia. The study explored whether symptomatic remission is significantly associated with employment outcomes in a two-year longitudinal study.MethodsAll 525 stable patients with schizophrenia in the therapeutic community of a public mental hospital in Taiwan were recruited between 2013 and 2015. Employment outcomes, defined as the cumulative on-the-job duration (months/per year) and income (new Taiwan dollars, NT$/per year), were investigated at the end of 1- and 2-year follow-up periods after enrollment. For repeated measurements, linear mixed models were constructed to examine the association between symptomatic remission and employment outcomes after controlling for potential confounding variables including age, sex, education, type and daily dose of antipsychotics, cognitive function, psychosocial functioning and initial employment type.ResultsThe average age of patients was 51.8 years, and 65.3% were males. Among them, 124 patients (23.6%, 124/525) met the remission criteria at baseline. The linear mixed-model analysis showed that patients who had symptomatic remission were employed 0.8 of a month longer (p = 0.029) and earned NT$3250 more (p = 0.001) within 1 year than those who did not show symptomatic remission.ConclusionOur study suggests that assessing symptomatic remission is a useful part of monitoring treatment effectiveness for schizophrenia, and all strategies targeting the bio-psycho-social domains to attain symptomatic remission are paramount to maintaining favorable employment outcomes.

The adventures of psychiatric reform in Greece: 1999-2019.

Psychiatric care in Greece has a long history of traditional in-patient treatment in large public institutions (the public asylum period), which lasted until 1983. European Economic Community (EEC) intervention in 1984 marked a transitional period (1984-1989) characterised by the beginning of the transformation of the mental healthcare system. The current reform era started in 1999 and has included new mental health law, the closure of six public mental hospitals and the establishment of several sectorised mental health services.

Gordon Tullock meets Phineas Gage: The political economy of lobotomies in the United States

Incentives affect the ways in which scientific research is disseminated and translated into practice. From 1936 to 1972, approximately fifty thousand lobotomies were performed in the US, with the majority occurring during the late 1940s and early 1950s. Curiously, the lobotomy's popularity coincided with a consensus within the medical community that the procedure was ineffective. To explain this paradox, we follow the framework developed by Tullock (2005) to examine how financial incentives within the scientific community affected how scientific research is used in practice. We argue that government funding for public mental hospitals and asylums expanded and prolonged the use of the lobotomy, despite mounting scientific evidence. We demonstrate that the lobotomy was used less in private mental hospitals and asylums. This paper provides an explanation for the use of scientifically discredited procedures due to the lack of responsiveness of government funding agencies. The results have implications for the dissemination and translation of scientific knowledge in practice.

Hospitalization Patterns over 30Years Across a Statewide System of Public Mental Health Hospitals: Readmission Predictors, Optimal Follow-Up Period, Readmission Clusters and Individuals with Statistically Significant High Healthcare Utilization.

Four related hospital utilization questions (optimal follow-up period, predictors of readmission, definition of individuals with statistically significant high healthcare utilization, and patterns of readmissions) were examined using data for 491,094 hospital discharges for 250,091 patients across a statewide public mental health hospital system for 30years (1987 to 2016). Using survival analysis, the first quartile of the survival time, the time when 25% of the entire population of discharges had a readmission was 229days. Using observed readmissions, rather than the population as in survival analysis, revealed that 50% of all observed readmissions occurred by 222days. Both suggest that using a one year observation period for determining high utilization may be reasonable. Major predictors of readmission were diagnoses of schizophrenia (OR = 2.11) or bipolar disorder (OR = 1.57) as well as total number of previous discharges (OR = 1.23). Statistically significant z scores (p < .01) were used to determine annual (3 or more discharges) and lifetime (7 or more discharges) criteria for individuals with statistically significant high healthcare utilization that were somewhat lower than in previous research. Cluster analysis of all readmissions revealed four relatively distinct clusters of patients: short stay-quick readmission, extremely long stay, long time in community between readmissions and frequent readmissions. While no cluster corresponded exactly with the annual statistically significant high healthcare utilization criteria, the frequent readmission cluster was somewhat similar to the lifetime statistically significant high healthcare utilization criteria with 46% of this cluster's patients having 7 or more discharges.

Adherence to antidepressant therapies in patients with depressive disorders attending an outpatient in a clinic public mental health hospital Colombia

Adherence to antidepressant therapies in patients with depressive disorders attending an outpatient in a clinic public mental health hospital Colombia

Antonio Vallejo-Nágera (1889-1960) and Juan Antonio Vallejo-Nágera Botas (1926-1990).

Antonio Vallejo-Nágera (1889-1960) and Juan Antonio Vallejo-Nágera Botas (1926-1990).

Forty years without mental hospitals in Italy

In 1978 Italy implemented Law Number 180, the reform law that blocked all new admissions to public mental hospitals. After 40 years without mental hospitals, we aim at understanding the consequences of the Italian reform in terms of mental health care facility and staff availability. We compared the organization of the Italian mental health system with that of countries belonging to the Group of 7 (G7) major advanced economies. Italy has nearly 8 psychiatrists, 20 nurses, 2 social workers and less than 3 psychologists per 100,000 population, while for example in France there were 22 psychiatrists, in Japan 102 nurses, in the United States 18 social workers, and in Canada and France more than 45 psychologists per 100,000 population. In terms of inpatient facilities, no beds in mental hospitals were available in Italy, while in the other G7 countries mental hospital beds ranged from 8 in the United Kingdom to 204 in Japan per 100 000 population. In Italy there were fewer beds for acute care in general hospitals but more beds in community residential facilities than in the other G7 countries. Service use data showed variability in the provision of mental health care throughout the country. Soon after the implementation of the Italian reform the absolute number of compulsory admissions progressively declined, from more than 20,000 in 1978 to less than 9000 in 2015. Alongside the progressive decline of psychiatric beds imposed by Law 180, the age-adjusted suicide rate remained stable, ranging from 7·1/100,000 population in 1978 to 6·3/100,000 population in 2012. The population of psychiatric patients placed in Italian forensic psychiatric hospitals progressively declined. During the last 40 years without mental hospitals, Italy has seen a progressive consolidation of a community-based system of mental health care. We highlighted, however, reasons for concern, including a decreasing staffing level, a potential use of community residential facilities as long-stay residential services, a still too high variability in service provision across the country, and lack of national data on physical restraints. At a national level, the resources allocated to mental health care are lower in Italy than in other high-income countries.

Switching antipsychotic treatment to aripiprazole in psychotic patients with neuroleptic-induced tardive dyskinesia: a 24-week follow-up study.

Aripiprazole is a second-generation antipsychotics, acting as a partial dopamine D2 receptor agonist. Previous studies on aripiprazole for tardive dyskinesia (TD) treatment were limited and inconclusive. This study was aimed to examine the effectiveness of aripiprazole in psychotic patients with a pre-existing TD. This was an open-label 24-week prospective cohort study conducted in a public mental hospital in Northern Taiwan from January 2009 to February 2010. Psychotic patients were cross-titrated of prior antipsychotics with aripiprazole, and the severity of TD was assessed at baseline and at weeks 2, 4, 8, 12, 16, 20, and 24. The primary study outcome was the change of TD severity, assessed by Abnormal Involuntary Movement Scale (AIMS) total score. Responder was defined as the reduction of AIMS total scores of no less than 50% from baseline to the study endpoint (24 weeks). Thirty psychotic patients with neuroleptic-induced TD were recruited. The AIMS total scores significantly decreased from baseline to the study endpoint (-7.17±5.55). The significant decrease of AIMS total scores started at week 2 (P<0.0001), and the change remained significant throughout the entire study period (P<0.0001). A greater severity of TD (adjusted odds ratio: 1.35, 95% confidence interval: 1.04-1.76, P=0.03) or a lower severity of parkinsonism (adjusted odds ratio: 0.78, 95% confidence interval: 0.61-0.99, P=0.04) at baseline was significantly associated with treatment responders. Our findings implicated that aripiprazole can be a promising treatment for clinicians considering drug switch in psychotic patients with TD. Further large randomized, controlled trials are warranted to confirm our findings.