Tardive dysmentia is a rarely used term introduced in a 1983 paper to describe "changes in affect, activation level, and interpersonal interaction", and hypothesized to be caused by long-term exposure to

neuroleptic Antipsychotics, previously known as neuroleptics and major tranquilizers, are a class of psychotropic medication primarily used to manage psychosis (including delusions, hallucinations, paranoia or disordered thought), principally in schizoph ...

drugs in the same way as the much better-known syndrome of

tardive dyskinesia Tardive dyskinesia (TD) is an iatrogenic disorder that results in involuntary repetitive body movements, which may include grimacing, sticking out the tongue or smacking the lips, which occurs following treatment with medication. Additional mo ...

. Several papers in the following years discussed the validity of the concept, and this small literature was reviewed in a 1993 publication by M. S. Myslobodsky, who drew attention to the "possibility that the syndrome of dysmentia is occasional excessive emotional reactivity, enhanced responsiveness to environmental stimuli, and indifference to or reduced awareness of the patient's abnormal involuntary movements", but concluded that the

pathophysiology Pathophysiology (or physiopathology) is a branch of study, at the intersection of pathology and physiology, concerning disordered physiological processes that cause, result from, or are otherwise associated with a disease or injury. Pathology is ...

was uncertain. Since then, the term has fallen into disuse, receiving at most only passing mentions in the literature.

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Further reading