00Enrolled HCR 9                                                                                                          
01 Designating May 1 - 7, 2022, as Tardive Dyskinesia Awareness Week.                                                      
02                                         _______________                                                                 
03 BE IT RESOLVED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF ALASKA:                                                             
04      WHEREAS many people with serious, chronic mental illness, such as schizophrenia,                                   
05 bipolar disorder, and severe depression, or gastrointestinal disorders, including gastroparesis,                        
06 nausea, and vomiting, require treatment with medications that work as dopamine receptor                                 
07 blocking agents, including antipsychotics; and                                                                          
08      WHEREAS, while ongoing treatment with dopamine receptor blocking agents can be                                     
09 very helpful, and even lifesaving, taking these medications can lead to tardive dyskinesia; and                         
10      WHEREAS tardive dyskinesia is a movement disorder that is characterized by                                         
11 random, involuntary, and uncontrolled movements of different muscles in the face, trunk, and                            
12 extremities; and                                                                                                        
13      WHEREAS, although not everyone who takes a dopamine receptor blocking agent                                        
14 develops tardive dyskinesia, the disorder can develop months, years, or decades after a person                          
15 starts taking these medications, can continue even after the person has discontinued the use of                         
16 the medications, and can even be permanent; and                                                                         
17      WHEREAS it is estimated that over 500,000 Americans suffer from tardive                                            

01 dyskinesia; and                                                                                                         
02      WHEREAS, according to the National Alliance for Mental Illness, one in every four                                  
03 patients receiving long-term treatment with an antipsychotic medication will experience                                 
04 tardive dyskinesia; and                                                                                                 
05      WHEREAS years of difficult and challenging research have resulted in recent                                        
06 scientific breakthroughs, with two new treatments for tardive dyskinesia recently approved by                           
07 the United States Food and Drug Administration; and                                                                     
08      WHEREAS, because tardive dyskinesia is often unrecognized and patients suffering                                   
09 from it are commonly misdiagnosed, the American Psychiatric Association recommends                                      
10 regular screenings for tardive dyskinesia for patients taking dopamine receptor blocking                                
11 agents; and                                                                                                             
12      WHEREAS the Alaska State Legislature supports raising awareness of tardive                                         
13 dyskinesia in the public and medical community;                                                                         
14      BE IT RESOLVED that the Alaska State Legislature designates May 1 - 7, 2022, as                                    
15 Tardive Dyskinesia Awareness Week and encourages individuals in the state to become better                              
16 informed about and aware of tardive dyskinesia.