May 2-8, 2021: Tardive Dyskinesia Awareness Week

WHEREAS, many people 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 helpful, and even lifesaving, for many people, it can also lead to Tardive Dyskinesia (TD); and,

 

WHEREAS, according to the National Alliance for Mental Illness, it is estimated that over 600,000 Americans suffer from Tardive Dyskinesia, and 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, anyone experiencing symptoms of TD should consult their physician for support;

 

NOW, THEREFORE, I, Gretchen Whitmer, governor of Michigan, do hereby proclaim May 2-8, 2021 as Tardive Dyskinesia Awareness Week in Michigan.