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House Co-Sponsorship Memoranda
House of Representatives
Session of 2023 - 2024
Regular Session
MEMORANDUM
| Posted: | January 17, 2024 02:11 PM |
|---|---|
| From: | Representative Michael H. Schlossberg |
| To: | All House members |
| Subject: | Designating May 5-11, 2024 as Tardive Dyskinesia Awareness Week |
| Every day, people living across Pennsylvania seek treatment for bipolar disorder, depression, schizophrenia and schizoaffective disorder and gastrointestinal disorders. This includes seeking treatments using medications that work as dopamine receptor blocking agents, including antipsychotics. For many, ongoing treatment with these medications are necessary. For some, prolonged use can also lead to Tardive Dyskinesia (TD). TD is an involuntary movement disorder caused by medications that help control dopamine, such as antipsychotics prescribed to treat people living with mental illnesses like schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, and major depression. TD is a persistent, irreversible, potentially disabling neurological condition characterized by uncontrollable repetitive movements of the face, torso, or other body parts. Additionally, people living with TD often face stigma, which can worsen mental health symptoms and cause embarrassment or withdrawal from society. While TD is treatable if a patient receives proper, timely screening and diagnosis, the condition remains widely unknown or misunderstood due to a lack of public awareness and too few resources available to patients, providers, and caregivers. Nearly 75% of the estimated 600,000 Americans living with TD are currently undiagnosed. To help ensure that people living with TD receive the care they need states across the country recognize TD Awareness Week, formally acknowledging the importance of TD awareness, education, and screenings. Recent national efforts are helping pave a path towards better care for people living with TD. In December 2020, the American Psychiatric Association published their updated treatment guidelines for schizophrenia, which include recommendations for periodic screenings for patients who are treated with antipsychotic medication and are at risk of developing TD. In the near future, I will be introducing legislation to recognize May 5 through May 11, 2023 as “Tardive Dyskinesia Awareness Week,” because seeking treatment requires all of us to ensure patients receive timely information, screening, and diagnosis for the medications they use. By building a deeper understanding of these medications, we will help to ensure people seeking treatment get the care they need and deserve. |
Introduced as HR312