HOUSE RESOLUTION NO. 2022-4646

HR 4646

ByRepresentatives Ryu, Wicks, and Taylor

WHEREAS, Many people with serious, chronic mental illness, such as schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, severe depression, or gastrointestinal disorders, including gastroparesis and nausea, 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, Tardive Dyskinesia is a movement disorder that is characterized by random, involuntary, and uncontrolled movements of different muscles in the face, trunk and extremities; 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, It is estimated that over 600,000 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; and

WHEREAS, Governor Inslee has designated the week of May 1, 2022, as "Tardive Dyskinesia Awareness Week" and May is Mental Health Awareness Month;

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, That the Washington State House of Representatives encourage awareness of Tardive Dyskinesia so we can better understand the causes and seek a cure for all those suffering; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That the Washington State House of Representatives hopes research will continue to advance thereby creating more options for people seeking medication for chronic mental illness in the future.