A senate RESOLUTION

TO RECOGNIZE May 1-7, 2023, AS "Tardive Dyskinesia Awareness Week" IN SOUTH CAROLINA.

Whereas, many people with serious mental health conditions, such as bipolar disorder, major depression, schizophrenia, and schizoaffective disorder, or gastrointestinal disorders, including gastroparesis, nausea, and vomiting, may be treated with medications that work as dopamine receptor blocking agents (DRBAs), including antipsychotics; and

Whereas, while ongoing treatment with these medications can be necessary, prolonged use can also lead to tardive dyskinesia (TD), an involuntary movement disorder that is characterized by uncontrollable, abnormal, and repetitive movements of the face, torso, or other body parts; and

Whereas, it is estimated that TD affects approximately six hundred thousand people in the United States. Approximately seventy percent of people with TD have not been diagnosed, making it important to raise awareness about the symptoms and impact of TD because even mild symptoms of TD can have physical, social, and emotional consequences; and

Whereas, it is important that people taking DRBA medication be monitored for TD. Regular screening for TD in these patients is recommended by the American Psychiatric Association; and

Whereas, clinical research has led to the availability of two treatments for adults with TD; and

Whereas, it is beneficial to the health and safety of our State that the Senate raise awareness of Tardive Dyskinesia in the public and medical community. Now, therefore,

Be it resolved by the Senate:

That the members of the South Carolina Senate, by this resolution, recognize May 1-7, 2023 as "Tardive Dyskinesia Awareness Week" in South Carolina.

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