Bill Text: NJ SJR52 | 2010-2011 | Regular Session | Introduced
Bill Title: Designates October 21st of each year as "Dystonia Awareness Day" in New Jersey.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Republican 2-0)
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2010-09-30 - Introduced in the Senate, Referred to Senate Health, Human Services and Senior Citizens Committee [SJR52 Detail]
Download: New_Jersey-2010-SJR52-Introduced.html
Sponsored by:
Senator THOMAS GOODWIN
District 14 (Mercer and Middlesex)
SYNOPSIS
Designates October 21st of each year as "Dystonia Awareness Day" in New Jersey.
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
As introduced.
A Joint Resolution designating October 21st of each year as "Dystonia Awareness Day" in New Jersey.
Whereas, Dystonia is a neurologic movement disorder characterized by sustained or periodic muscle contractions that often cause twisting and repetitive movements or abnormal postures in many affected individuals. These movements are involuntary and sometimes painful; and
Whereas, Dystonia is the third most common movement disorder, after Parkinson's disease and essential tremor, and is estimated to affect at least 500,000, or one in every 600 Americans. Dystonia may affect both males and females of any age; and
Whereas, Dystonia is associated with an abnormality in an area of the brain called the basal ganglia and an inability to process neurotransmitters. There is no single cause of dystonia, which may result from genetic factors, reactions to certain drug treatments, traumatic brain injury, environmentally-related brain damage, stroke, infection, and other undetermined causes. Dystonia may manifest itself as a symptom of a more pervasive disorder; and
Whereas, There are no psychiatric disorders associated with dystonia, and those who suffer from the disorder are usually of normal intelligence; and
Whereas, Dystonia may affect the entire body, a single muscle, or several regions of the body at once. Dystonia may manifest itself during voluntary or involuntary movement, in connection with voluntary movement of other, unaffected bodily regions, or when the body is at rest. Dystonic spasms typically increase in intensity and frequency during periods of physical and emotional stress. Over time, dystonic symptoms may plateau or they may increase in severity and expand to other parts of the body either rapidly or slowly; and
Whereas, Dystonia can result in spine or joint damage in tendons and ligaments, permanent physical deformities, functional blindness, difficulty speaking and communicating, clinical depression, difficulty eating and swallowing, pain and fatigue, or an impaired ability to write or play an instrument. Dystonia often affects the ability to perform day-to-day tasks and can result in complete dependence on others. Often dystonia leads to feelings of frustration, depression, anxiety, and loneliness; and
Whereas, There is no known cure for dystonia and no universally-effective course of treatment for its symptoms. Dystonic symptoms may respond to drugs, physical therapy, sensory tricks, Botox injections, deep brain stimulation, surgery, or various forms of alternative medicine; however, many of these treatments are associated with undesirable side effects; and
Whereas, Dystonia is often underdiagnosed or misdiagnosed and lags far behind in research funding when compared to other neurological disorders; now, therefore,
Be It Resolved by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:
1. October 21st of each year is designated as "Dystonia Awareness Day" in New Jersey, in order to promote increased public awareness about dystonia.
2. The Governor shall issue a proclamation calling upon public officials and citizens of this State to observe "Dystonia Awareness Day" with appropriate activities and programs.
3. This joint resolution shall take effect immediately.
STATEMENT
This joint resolution would designate October 21st of each year as "Dystonia Awareness Day" in New Jersey.
Dystonia is a neurological disorder characterized by sustained and repetitive muscle contractions resulting in twisting, repetitive movements and abnormal postures. Often misdiagnosed and underdiagnosed, dystonia is the third most common movement disorder, affecting at least 500,000, or one in every 600 Americans. Dystonia lags behind other neurologic disorders in research funding.
There is no single cause of dystonia, which may result from genetic factors, reactions to certain drug treatments, traumatic brain injury, environmentally-related brain damage, stroke, infection, and other undetermined causes. Dystonia affects persons of all ages, backgrounds, and genders. There is no known cure for dystonia and no universally-effective treatment for its symptoms.
Dystonia may affect the entire body, a single body part, or several regions of the body at once. Its symptoms may spread and increase in severity over time or may plateau. Although there are no psychiatric disorders associated with dystonia and the people who suffer from it are usually of normal intelligence, its symptoms may cause difficulty speaking and communicating, which can lead to the erroneous belief that a person suffering from dystonia has a mental illness or mental impairment. Dystonia may also result in permanent physical deformities, functional blindness, difficulty eating and swallowing, pain, and fatigue. Dystonia often affects the ability to perform day-to-day tasks and can result in complete dependence on others, leading to feelings of frustration, depression, anxiety, and loneliness.
