Tardive dyskinesia in young adults.

The authors describe two cases of tardive dyskinesia in which severe axial dystonia and intense facial grimacing produced marked discomfort as well as social and physical disability. Both patients experienced the onset of psychiatric symptoms as young adults, showed a prompt response to antipsychotic drug therapy, and were subsequently left on maintenance treatment for indefinite periods. The severity of this frequently irreversible and disabling condition warrants careful consideration in the use of long-term antipsychotic drug treatment in the young psychiatric outpatient population.