| Course | DNP 672 Psychopharmacology Across the Lifespan |
|---|---|
| Module | Module 6 |
| Paper type | Paired medication presentation with speaker notes |
| Length | About 759 words, 5 pages |
| Format | APA 7 slide deck with speaker notes |
| School | Arizona State University |
| Program | Doctor of Nursing Practice |
| Updated | October 2026 |
Free sample paper for DNP 672 Module 6
When the Mouth Will Not Stop Moving: A Case Presentation on Antipsychotic-Induced Tardive Dyskinesia
Student Name
Edson College of Nursing and Health Innovation, Arizona State University
DNP 672: Psychopharmacology Across the Lifespan
Instructor Name
Month Day, Year
Slide 1: When the Mouth Will Not Stop Moving
Antipsychotic side effects: tardive dyskinesia. Partners 1 and 2. Psychopharmacology Across the Lifespan.
Speaker notes: (Partner 1) Picture a patient whose psychosis is finally controlled, but whose lips, tongue and jaw now move constantly. Today we follow one composite patient through that problem: what it is, how to recognize it and what the evidence says we can do.
Slide 2: Meet Ms. R
52 years old. Schizoaffective disorder, bipolar type, since age 24. Years on a first-generation antipsychotic, switched to an atypical drug at 45. Stable mood and no hospitalization for six years.
Speaker notes: (Partner 2) Ms. R's illness was severe in her twenties, with several hospitalizations for mania with psychosis. She has done well on an atypical antipsychotic for seven years, and she wants to stay well.
Slide 3: Why Her Drug Was Chosen
Psychotic and manic symptoms needed one drug covering both. Atypical antipsychotic chosen for antimanic and antipsychotic effect, lower movement risk than her old drug and once-daily dosing she could manage.
Speaker notes: (Partner 2) Her prescriber switched her from a typical antipsychotic because of parkinsonism. The atypical drug treated both her psychosis and her mood episodes, and it carried a lower risk of movement side effects, though not zero.
Slide 4: What Her Daughter Noticed
Lip smacking, tongue darting, chewing movements, finger movements. Worse when stressed, gone during sleep. Ms. R barely notices it.
Speaker notes: (Partner 1) Her daughter noticed it first. That is typical: patients are often less aware of tardive dyskinesia than the people around them. These involuntary movements develop after months to years of dopamine-blocking treatment.
Slide 5: Recognizing It: The AIMS
Abnormal Involuntary Movement Scale: seven body areas rated 0 to 4. Ms. R scored moderate in the face and mouth. Rule out other causes: parkinsonism, akathisia, Huntington disease, dental problems.
Speaker notes: (Partner 1) The AIMS takes about ten minutes and should be done at baseline and regularly for anyone on an antipsychotic. Ms. R's score, together with the history, supports tardive dyskinesia rather than another movement disorder.
Slide 6: How Common Is It?
About 1 in 4 patients on antipsychotics. 30% on first-generation drugs, 21% on second-generation drugs. Risk rises with age and illness duration.
Speaker notes: (Partner 2) A meta-analysis of 41 studies with more than 11,000 patients found a global prevalence of 25.3%, with rates of 30.0% on first-generation and 20.7% on second-generation drugs (Carbon et al., 2017). Lower risk does not mean no risk, so atypical drugs still require screening.
Slide 7: First Steps
Review the need for the antipsychotic. Consider a lower dose or a switch to a lower-risk drug, such as clozapine or quetiapine, if psychiatrically safe. Stop anticholinergics, which do not help tardive dyskinesia.
Speaker notes: (Partner 1) Stopping the antipsychotic is often not an option for someone like Ms. R, whose illness was severe. Abrupt changes can trigger relapse. So we look at the regimen as a whole and avoid benztropine, which treats parkinsonism but not tardive dyskinesia.
Slide 8: The Evidence: VMAT2 Inhibitors
Valbenazine and deutetrabenazine reduce dopamine release by blocking vesicular monoamine transporter 2. Both reduced AIMS scores more than placebo in randomized trials.
Speaker notes: (Partner 2) In a six-week trial, valbenazine reduced AIMS dyskinesia scores by an average of 3.2 points at the higher dose compared with 0.1 with placebo, and psychiatric symptoms stayed stable (Hauser et al., 2017). In a 12-week trial, deutetrabenazine also improved AIMS scores more than placebo at the two higher doses studied (Anderson et al., 2017). Side effects include sleepiness, and both need care in patients at risk of depression or QT prolongation.
Slide 9: What the Guideline Says and Ms. R's Plan
Guideline: VMAT2 inhibitor when TD is moderate, severe or disabling. Ms. R: continue her antipsychotic, start a VMAT2 inhibitor, repeat the AIMS in four to six weeks, check mood and sleepiness.
Speaker notes: (Partner 1) The American Psychiatric Association's schizophrenia guideline advises treating tardive dyskinesia that is moderate, severe or disabling with a VMAT2 inhibitor (Keepers et al., 2020). Ms. R's movements bother her daughter and affect her social life, so after shared decision making she chose to start one.
Slide 10: Three Things to Remember
Screen everyone on an antipsychotic with the AIMS. Atypical does not mean risk-free. VMAT2 inhibitors work and let patients keep the antipsychotic that keeps them well.
Speaker notes: (Partner 2) If you remember three things: screen, stay alert with atypical drugs and know that effective treatment exists. Ms. R kept both her stability and her smile. Thank you.
References
Anderson, K. E., Stamler, D., Davis, M. D., Factor, S. A., Hauser, R. A., Isojärvi, J., Jarskog, L. F., Jimenez-Shahed, J., Kumar, R., McEvoy, J. P., Ochudlo, S., Ondo, W. G., & Fernandez, H. H. (2017). Deutetrabenazine for treatment of involuntary movements in patients with tardive dyskinesia (AIM-TD): A double-blind, randomised, placebo-controlled, phase 3 trial. The Lancet Psychiatry, 4(8), 595-604. https://doi.org/10.1016/S2215-0366(17)30236-5
Carbon, M., Hsieh, C.-H., Kane, J. M., & Correll, C. U. (2017). Tardive dyskinesia prevalence in the period of second-generation antipsychotic use: A meta-analysis. Journal of Clinical Psychiatry, 78(3), e264-e278. https://doi.org/10.4088/JCP.16r10832
Hauser, R. A., Factor, S. A., Marder, S. R., Knesevich, M. A., Ramirez, P. M., Jimenez, R., Burke, J., Liang, G. S., & O'Brien, C. F. (2017). KINECT 3: A phase 3 randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial of valbenazine for tardive dyskinesia. American Journal of Psychiatry, 174(5), 476-484. https://doi.org/10.1176/appi.ajp.2017.16091037
Keepers, G. A., Fochtmann, L. J., Anzia, J. M., Benjamin, S., Lyness, J. M., Mojtabai, R., Servis, M., Walaszek, A., Buckley, P., Lenzenweger, M. F., Young, A. S., Degenhardt, A., & Hong, S.-H. (2020). The American Psychiatric Association practice guideline for the treatment of patients with schizophrenia. American Journal of Psychiatry, 177(9), 868-872. https://doi.org/10.1176/appi.ajp.2020.177901
DNP 672 Module 6 instructions, in plain terms
According to the posted syllabus, the Medications Presentation is worth 30% of the DNP 672 grade. Students sign up in pairs at the first immersion for a medication category and present to the class at the second immersion, posting their presentations to the discussion board the same day. Side-effect groups cover stimulants, antidepressants, antipsychotics, benzodiazepines or mood stabilizers: build a case in which a patient develops a side effect, show how you would deal with it, find a video of what it looks like if possible, give the evidence-based treatment and explain why the medication was chosen for the patient's symptoms. Other pairs cover cannabis, ketamine, psilocybin or MDMA. Keep it quick and memorable, like a TED talk, and meet with faculty beforehand.
Inside the DNP 672 Module 6 example
The deck has ten slides with speaker notes split between two partners. It opens with a vivid picture of the side effect, introduces a composite patient and explains why her antipsychotic was chosen. Middle slides show how the problem is noticed and confirmed with the AIMS, how common it is and the first management steps. The evidence slide reports two VMAT2 inhibitor trials, followed by the guideline recommendation and the patient's plan. The final slide gives three takeaways. Four sources support it: a prevalence meta-analysis, two randomized trials and the APA guideline. No doses appear, in keeping with a class-level presentation. Speaker labels show which partner presents each slide, so the workload is visibly shared.
Where the marks sit in the DNP 672 Module 6 rubric
The syllabus describes what the presentation must include rather than a point breakdown: a case with a side effect, how you would manage it, the evidence-based treatment and why the drug was chosen, delivered quickly and memorably, with the stated aim of building critical thinking about prescribing. Faculty are likely to reward a realistic case, accurate recognition and differential, current trial evidence, guideline-based management and clear takeaways. Splitting the content evenly between partners shows teamwork. A presentation that classmates can remember and use in practice serves the course's purpose better than a dense lecture. Faculty may also check that the case explains why the drug was chosen, a requirement that is easy to forget.
DNP 672 Module 6 help with common mistakes
A common weakness is a presentation that lists every side effect of a class without a case. Choose one side effect and follow one patient. Another is overloading slides with text; keep slides short and put detail in the speaker notes. If you want help building a case presentation for your assigned category, tell the desk which category and side effect you are considering. Divide the slides between partners early. Rehearse together so the presentation fits the time you are given. Find a short, reputable video of the side effect, as the syllabus suggests, and plan where in the talk you will show it.
Write yours, or have the desk draft it
This paper is an original model document written by our desk, not a submitted student paper and not an official Arizona State University document. Read it for the moves, then write your own to the instructions in your classroom. If you want one built to your exact prompt and rubric, the first custom sample is free and arrives in 24 to 48 hours.
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DNP 672 Module 6 questions, answered
Where can I find a free DNP 672 Module 6 sample paper?
A complete DNP 672 Medications Presentation sample, ten slides on a case of antipsychotic-induced tardive dyskinesia with VMAT2 inhibitor evidence, is on this page.
What does the DNP 672 medication presentation require?
Pairs present a medication category with a case of a side effect, how they would manage it, the evidence-based treatment and why the drug was chosen.
How much is the DNP 672 medication presentation worth?
The posted syllabus lists the Medications Presentation at 30% of the grade.
How is tardive dyskinesia treated?
When the movements are moderate, severe or disabling, the APA guideline advises a VMAT2 inhibitor such as valbenazine or deutetrabenazine.
How common is tardive dyskinesia with antipsychotics?
A meta-analysis found about 25% overall, with lower rates on second-generation than first-generation antipsychotics.