Tardive Dysmentia: A Reappraisal

The proposed concept of tardive dysmentia is reassessed with critical comments on methodological issues. The probability that this type of behavior is related to the disease process in chronic schizophrenia has not been ruled out. If tardive dysmentia were to be a result of neuroleptic exposure primarily, it should also be seen in neuroleptic-treated nonschizophrenic patients. In a study of tardive dyskinesia among bipolar patients, we failed to notice any cases that could have been described as tardive dysmentia as proposed. This suggests a strong possibility of this syndrome being illness related rather than neuroleptic caused. Finally, the syndrome appears to be more of a dyscontrol than a dysmentia . Tardive dyscontrol may be a better term than dysmentia . There is no evidence that these patients would fit criteria for a diagnosis of mania, and the proposal that these patients may be mistakenly diagnosed as manic is unfounded.