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AIMS (Abnormal Involuntary Movement Scale)

Persons taking any kind of antipsychotic medication need to be monitored for movement disorders. The AIMS (Abnormal Involuntary Movement Scale) aids in the early detection of tardive dyskinesia as well as providing a method for on-going surveillance.
Although the incidence of TD has been relatively low in recent years, changes in prescribing may result in increased occurrence. Clinicians will need to be alert to these possibilities and employ tools that will help them pick up developing problems as soon as possible.
This simple checklist takes only 10 minutes to complete and uses a 5-point rating scale for recording scores for 7 body areas: face, lips, jaw, tongue, upper extremities, lower extremities, and trunk.
  
Download AIMS Form (PDF)
Download AIMS Instructions (PDF)
The Program Guide For AIMS Instructional Video
 
More about Tardive Dyskinesia and the Abnormal Involuntary Movement Scale

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  • Instructional Video For AIMS Scale
      Introduction (5:30)
      Examination Procedure (8:00)
      Scoring Procedure (9:30)
      Summary And Conclusion (3:30)
      
    Having trouble playing the video? Click here to make sure you have the right Flash plug-in.

    An instructional video has been created to show how to conduct the AIMS examination and how to score the findings. Dr. Jay Pomerantz demonstrates each step of the AIMS procedure. With the help of a "standardized patient", he also shows what the different levels of symptom severity look like and explains how they should be scored.

    It is suggested that you download and print out the AIMS Form and the AIMS Instructions before viewing the Instructional Video so that you will be able to follow along on each step of the examination and the scoring of the abnormal movements.

    Downloading and printing out the AIMS Instructional Video Program Guide also in advance of viewing the video will give you a complete description of the information on the video and the length of time of each segment so you can skip forward and back.
More About Abnormal Involuntary Movement and the AIMS
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One of the spin-offs of the consensus statement is a study of the risk for metabolic disorders with antipsychotic use in children and adolescents. Here, the lead researcher discusses some of the group's initial findings. More »
September 1, 2002
Attendees Consider New Therapies At Annual American College of Neuropsychopharmacology Meeting
Noting the frequent unresponsiveness of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) to standard drug treatments, Stein and colleagues reported results of the first double-blind, placebo-controlled trial of an adjunct to selective serotonin reuptake... More »
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Jay M. Pomerantz, MD
Assistant Clinical Professor of Psychiatry
Harvard Medical School, Boston

A large number of psychiatric tests, scales, and forms have been created over the years to help in diagnosing mental illness and assisting in treatment and follow-up. This Web-based service offers copies of some of the most popular and useful instruments. The hope is that healthcare professionals—whether in specialty practices, primary-care settings, or emergency services—will find this format convenient and useful, allowing them to find the right instrument quickly, print it out for immediate use with patients, and add the findings to their records. Since most of the tools are designed for repeated use over time, they will provide not only a longitudinal view but also document the medical record.

In addition to the forms themselves, you will find instructions on how to administer and score the scales as well as related articles and links to other useful guidance. When appropriate, we will supply video resources for additional insights.

These scales have demonstrated high levels of accuracy and validity and the results can give important clues to possible mental disorders that warrant follow up. However, please remember that they depend on the skills of the clinicians administering them and the accuracy of the information provided by the patients.