HR0807 101ST GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HR0807 LRB101 20921 MST 70875 r

HOUSE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, Many peoples with serious, chronic mental illness, such as schizophrenia and other schizoaffective disorders, bipolar disorder, or severe depression, require treatment with medications that work as dopamine receptor blocking agents (DRBAs), including antipsychotics; and

WHEREAS, While ongoing treatment with these medications can be very helpful and even lifesaving for many people, it can also lead to Tardive Dyskinesia (TD); and

WHEREAS, Many people who have gastrointestinal disorders, including gastroparesis, nausea, and vomiting, also require treatment with DRBAs; and

WHEREAS, Treatment of gastrointestinal disorders with DRBAs can be very helpful, but for many patients, it can lead to Tardive Dyskinesia; and

WHEREAS, Tardive Dyskinesia is a movement disorder that is characterized by random, involuntary, and uncontrolled movements of different muscles in the face, trunk, and extremities; in some cases, people may experience movement of the arms, legs, fingers, and toes; it may affect the tongue, lips, and jaw; symptoms may include swaying movements of the trunk or hips and may impact the muscles associated with walking, speech, eating, and breathing; and

WHEREAS, Tardive Dyskinesia can develop months, years, or decades after a person starts taking DRBAs and even after they have discontinued use of those medications; not everyone who takes a DRBA develops TD, but if it develops, it is often permanent; and

WHEREAS, Common risk factors for Tardive Dyskinesia include advanced age and alcoholism or other substance abuse disorders; postmenopausal women and people with a mood disorder are also at a higher risk of developing Tardive Dyskinesia; and

WHEREAS, A person is at a higher risk for TD after talking DRBAs for three months or longer, but the longer the person is on these medications then the higher the risk of developing Tardive Dyskinesia; and

WHEREAS, Studies suggest that overall risk of developing Tardive Dyskinesia is between 10 and 30 percent; and

WHEREAS, It is estimated that over 500,000 Americans suffer from Tardive Dyskinesia; according to the National Alliance for Mental Illness, one in every four patients receiving long-term treatment with an antipsychotic medication will experience Tardive Dyskinesia; and

WHEREAS, Years of difficult and challenging research have resulted in recent scientific breakthroughs, with two new treatments for Tardive Dyskinesia approved by the United States Food and Drug Administration; and

WHEREAS, Tardive Dyskinesia is often unrecognized, and patients suffering from the illness are commonly misdiagnosed; regular screening for TD in patients taking DRBA medications is recommended by the American Psychiatric Association (APA); and

WHEREAS, Patients suffering from Tardive Dyskinesia often suffer embarrassment due to abnormal and involuntary movements, which leads them to withdraw from society and increasingly isolate themselves as the disease progresses; and

WHEREAS, Caregivers of patients with Tardive Dyskinesia face many challenges and are often responsible for the overall care of the TD patient; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE HUNDRED FIRST GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we declare May 3-9, 2020 as "Tardive Dyskinesia Awareness Week" in the State of Illinois; and be it further

RESOLVED, That we urge the citizens of Illinois and those across the country to become better informed about Tardive Dyskinesia.