The introduction of Abnormal Involuntary Movement Scale (AIMS)

Facial expression of tardive dyskinesia

Sometimes, after finishing the job, many people will consider to consume some sort of medication that can make themselves feeling relaxed, comfort, and enjoy. To do that, people will spend their money to buy these types of medications either prescription or non-prescription. However, long-term consumption of neuroleptic medications could make you suffer for long-term disorder.

Aegle Physics – According to the Encyclopedia of Mental Disorder edited by Ellen Thackery and Madeline Harris suggested that every person who consumes antipsychotic medications for long time must be tested in term of their abnormality. The process of testing the abnormalities uses the Abnormal Involuntary Movement Scale or sometimes knowns as tardive dyskinesia. This method is to determine either the person suffers side effect of the neuroleptic medications or long term disorder.

The purpose of tardive dyskinesia is to characterized your side effect happens to your body by measuring the involuntary movements. Those are including the patient’s face, mouth, trunk, or limbs which many experts believe those movements are the most got affected by the medications. The experts stated that around twenty or thirty per cent of facial expressions and movements so for older patients, the effects of neuroleptic medications are higher than the younger one.

In the medical terms, the movements of the patients based on their limbs are called the choreathetoid, indicating the movements in repeating system. It is similar like a dance which involves many repetitions of movements. Therefore, in tardive dyskinesia detection, the patients are asked to follow the movements over time. And for patients, the tardive dyskinesia develops several months particularly three months after the initiation of neuroleptic therapy. However, unlike the younger patients, elderly patients significantly can be detected at most as one month.

There are ten tests that must be conducted to determine whether the patients develop tardive dyskinesia or not. The first thing that the clinicians do is asking whether the patients experience abnormal movements for instance shaking, feeling tired or any unusual movements. And these abnormal movements could happen in face, mouth, trunks or limbs. Or sometimes there could be happen inside the mouth such as jaws, tongue, or even more in the movements of muscles.

Next thing is the patients will be asked to have a seat and the clinicians will be monitored the movements of their limbs or muscles. The seat is feet flat on the floor implying to the separation of the knees slightly with the hands on the knees. This position will help the clinicians to observe the patients thoroughly. And then simple instructions are commanded by the clinicians and the patients must follow it. Those are sticking out the tongue twice while the rater watches, tap his or her thumb with each finger very rapidly for 10 to 15 seconds, commenced by the right hand firstly.

The last thing is observing the movements of limbs. After being tested in face and hands, the patients will be asked to bend and extend each arm at a time and the position is in standing. Both arm is moved instructed by the clinicians in front of the body with palms facing downward. And the final testing is the patient then walks a few paces.