PRINTER'S NO. 1624
THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA
SENATE RESOLUTION
No.
290
Session of
2024
INTRODUCED BY COLLETT, HAYWOOD, BREWSTER, SCHWANK, CULVER,
FONTANA, KANE, COSTA, CAPPELLETTI, J. WARD AND DILLON,
MAY 17, 2024
REFERRED TO RULES AND EXECUTIVE NOMINATIONS, MAY 17, 2024
A RESOLUTION
Designating the week of May 5 through 11, 2024, as "Tardive
Dyskinesia Awareness Week" in Pennsylvania.
WHEREAS, Many individuals with serious, chronic mental
illness, such as schizophrenia and other schizoaffective
disorders, bipolar disorder or severe depression, or people who
suffer with gastrointestinal disorders, including gastroparesis,
nausea and vomiting, require treatment with medications that
work as dopamine receptor blocking agents (DRBAs), including
antipsychotics and antiemetics; and
WHEREAS, While ongoing treatment with these medications can
be necessary, prolonged use is associated with tardive
dyskinesia (TD); and
WHEREAS, TD is a movement disorder that is characterized by
random, involuntary and uncontrolled movements of different
muscles in the face, trunk and extremities; and
WHEREAS, Even mild symptoms of TD can impact people
physically, socially and emotionally; and
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WHEREAS, TD can develop months, years or decades after an
individual starts taking DRBAs and even after the individual has
discontinued use of those medications; and
WHEREAS, Not everyone who takes a DRBA develops TD, but if TD
develops it is often permanent; and
WHEREAS, It is estimated that more than 600,000 Americans
suffer from TD; and
WHEREAS, According to the National Alliance for Mental
Illness, one in every four patients receiving long-term
treatment with an antipsychotic medication will experience TD;
and
WHEREAS, Years of difficult and challenging research have
resulted in recent scientific breakthroughs with two new
treatments for TD approved by the United States Food and Drug
Administration; and
WHEREAS, TD is often unrecognized and patients suffering from
the illness are commonly misdiagnosed; and
WHEREAS, Regular screening for TD in patients taking DRBAs is
recommended by the American Psychiatric Association; and
WHEREAS, The Senate can raise awareness of TD in the public
and medical community; therefore be it
RESOLVED, That the Senate designate the week of May 5 through
11, 2024, as "Tardive Dyskinesia Awareness Week" in
Pennsylvania; and be it further
RESOLVED, That the Senate encourage anyone experiencing
uncontrollable, abnormal and repetitive movements to consult
their health care provider regarding their symptoms.
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