AR HR1063

Designates the first week of May 2023 as Tardive Dyskinesia Awareness Week in Arkansas

Tardive dyskinesia is a movement disorder causing involuntary muscle movements in the face, trunk, and extremities that can develop months, years, or decades after starting dopamine receptor blocking agents and is often permanent

Approximately 600,000 Americans suffer from tardive dyskinesia, with the National Alliance on Mental Illness reporting that 1 in 4 patients receiving long-term antipsychotic medication will experience the disorder

The disorder often goes unrecognized and patients are sometimes misdiagnosed, prompting the American Psychiatric Association to recommend heightened awareness and regular screening in patients taking dopamine receptor blocking agents

Recent scientific breakthroughs have resulted in two treatments approved by the Food and Drug Administration, and Tardive Dyskinesia Awareness Week is already recognized in many states during the first week of May each year