The aim of this paper is to review the practical aspects of antipsychotic drug treatment in psychiatry, with special focus on tardive dyskinesia. Although an often useful, comprehensive, and rapidly available reference, the Physicians' Desk Reference (1) should not be construed as the guide to good medical practice, because its content is arrived at as a compromise between the drug industry's promotional interests and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's regulatory interests. The report of the American Psychiatric Association's task force on tardive dyskinesia can be recommended as the American Psychiatric Association's position paper on tardive dyskinesia (2,3). The following discussion focuses on practical recommendations for psychiatrists, but neurologists who collaborate with psychiatrists in the care of patients with, or at risk of, tardive dyskinesia may also find the recommendations helpful. Since the occurrence of tardive dyskinesia has led to malpractice claims, the medical-legal issues are also reviewed.