Bill Text: CA AR80 | 2019-2020 | Regular Session | Introduced
Bill Title: Relative to Tardive Dyskinesia Awareness Week.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2020-02-06 - Referred to Com. on RLS. [AR80 Detail]
Download: California-2019-AR80-Introduced.html
CALIFORNIA LEGISLATURE—
2019–2020 REGULAR SESSION
House Resolution
No. 80
| Introduced by Assembly Member Mullin |
February 03, 2020 |
Relative to Tardive Dyskinesia Awareness Week.
LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST
HR 80, as introduced, Mullin.
Digest Key
Bill Text
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 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 can lead to 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. In some cases, people may experience movement of the arms, legs, fingers, and toes. In some cases, it may affect the tongue, lips, and jaw. In other cases, symptoms may include swaying movements of the trunk or hips and may impact the muscles associated with walking, speech, eating, and breathing; and
WHEREAS, TD 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 TD include advanced age and alcoholism or other substance abuse disorders. Postmenopausal women and people with a mood disorder are also at higher risk of developing TD; and
WHEREAS, A person is at higher risk for TD after taking DRBAs for three months or longer, but the longer the person is on these medications, the higher the risk of developing TD; and
WHEREAS, Studies suggest that the overall risk of developing TD following prolonged exposure to DRBAs is between 10 and 30 percent; and
WHEREAS, It is estimated that over 60,000 Californians suffer from 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. TD 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 who take DRBAs should be regularly evaluated by their health care providers to ensure that any signs of TD are recognized. Health care providers should use a rating scale recommended by the APA; and
WHEREAS, Patients suffering from TD 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, The caregivers of patients with TD face many challenges and are often responsible for the overall care of the TD patient; now, therefore, be it
Resolved by the Assembly of the State of California, That the Assembly proclaims the week of May 3, 2020, as Tardive Dyskinesia Awareness Week, with the goal of raising awareness of this potentially debilitating disease; and be it further
Resolved, That the Chief Clerk of the Assembly transmit copies of this resolution to the author for appropriate distribution.
