This study attempted to contribute to the subtyping of tardive dyskinesia (TD) by studying the effects of age, sex, psychiatric diagnosis and duration of illness on the severity and topographic distribution of dyskinesia, and to describe the topographic distribution of drug-induced dyskinesia (DID) and drug-induced parkinsonism (DIP) in detail by examining 170 consecutive inpatients on antipsychotic treatment. Age, sex, psychiatric diagnosis or total duration of exposure to antipsychotics had no significant effect on either the severity or the distribution of DID. Drug-induced dyskinesia and DIP did not show a conspicuous pattern of lateralisation. Progression of mild DID to TD may not be a rule and factors other than age, sex, psychiatric diagnosis or duration of antipsychotic exposure might be operating in the development of clinically significant TD. Gait abnormalities and falls might be frequent manifestations of DIP as well as other side effects in these patients.