At Psych Congress 2025, Teva Medical presented 20 abstracts and posters from across their neuropsychiatry portfolio. One of these, “Anatomical Distribution of Involuntary Movements and Clinician-Reported Impact of Tardive Dyskinesia: A Real World Analysis of the IMPACT-TD Registry,” was selected as a Poster Award Winner and will be placed in the Psych Congress Hall of Fame.

This awarded poster analyzed a large dataset from the IMPACT-TD Registry, looking at how involuntary movements in tardive dyskinesia (TD) affect people across multiple areas of life. Domains assessed included psychological, social, physical, and vocational impact.

Key Findings

  • Moderate-to-Severe Movements:  Among untreated participants with moderate or severe movements in a body region, 88–97% reported moderate-to-severe impact in at least one life domain. Not surprisingly, the physical domain emerged as the most burdensome for this group.
  • Mild Movements Still Carry Weight:  The most striking finding came from participants with only mild or minimal movements. Even at this level, 71–81% reported moderate-to-severe impact in at least one domain.
    • The psychiatric/psychological domain was most affected, followed by social, then vocational, with physical being least.
    • This underscores that individuals with mild TD may not yet report obvious physical challenges, but are still experiencing significant disruptions in their mental health and daily lives.

The Psychological Toll

For many, the psychological domain carried the heaviest burden. Individuals with TD—even with mild symptoms—reported issues such as:

  • Sadness, depression, anxiety, worry, or loss of self-esteem
  • Feelings of hopelessness or loss of purpose
  • Poor concentration, attention, or memory
  • Worsening or recurrence of psychiatric symptoms such as psychosis, aggression, or severe anxiety
  • Reduced adherence to medications or even discontinuing treatment
  • Unhealthy coping strategies, including substance use or abuse

These challenges often appear long before physical impairments become obvious, making them easy to overlook in clinical interactions.

Social and Functional Impact

The social domain was the second most commonly affected in individuals with mild TD movements. Participants reported:

  • Difficulty participating in family or community events
  • Embarrassment or self-consciousness about movements
  • Avoidance of social interactions and isolation
  • Reduced quality of interpersonal communication

Vocational and physical impacts followed, showing that TD touches nearly every aspect of life—even when outward signs seem “mild.”

Why This Matters for Sites Not Involved in TD Trials

Most of the STARR Certified research sites are not running TD-specific studies, but participants with TD may still be enrolled in other psychiatric or neurologic trials. For site staff and coordinators, Teva’s poster offers some important considerations:

  • Even mild TD can carry heavy psychological and social consequences. Participants may not talk about their movements, but they may be struggling emotionally, cognitively, or socially.
  • Patient engagement opportunities: Recognizing and validating these challenges can help staff build trust and strengthen retention, even if TD isn’t the focus of the visit.
  • Holistic care lens: Movement disorders like TD don’t just affect the body—they can reshape the trajectory of someone’s mental health journey.

Conclusion

This award-winning poster shines a light on the far-reaching and often overlooked impact of TD, especially for those with mild symptoms. By broadening how we think about the consequences of TD—beyond motor movements alone—we can better understand participants’ lived experiences and support their care more holistically.

👏 Congratulations to the Teva team on this well-deserved recognition at Psych Congress 2025!