Although many scales to measure tardive dyskinesia have been developed,
none has been widely accepted. The authors used the Abnormal Involuntary
Movement Scale (AIMS) to evaluate a group of 293 inpatients who had been
given a primary or secondary diagnosis of schizophrenia. They found a
tardive dyskinesia prevalence of 30% using a criterion rating of 3
(moderate symptoms) or more on the AIMS. The prevalence figure declined as
the criterion became more severe. They also found that women had a much
higher prevalence of the disorder only when more severe symptoms were used
as the criterion. They conclude that the AIMS is a reliable instrument for
assessing tardive dyskinesia.Abstract Teaser