R-329 Page 1 of 1
2024
No. R-329. House concurrent resolution recognizing the importance of public awareness of tardive dyskinesia.
(H.C.R.250)
Offered by: Representative Bartley of Fairfax Whereas, tardive dyskinesia (TD) “is a persistent, involuntary movement disorder…characterized by uncontrollable, abnormal and repetitive movements of the face,
torso, limbs, and fingers or toes,” and Whereas, 600,000 Americans are living with TD and nearly 65 percent of these individuals have not received a proper diagnosis, and symptoms of TD can impact individuals physically, socially, and emotionally, and Whereas, the “prolonged use of antipsychotic medication that may be necessary to treat individuals living with mental illness[es],” such as bipolar disorder, major depressive disorder, schizoaffective disorder, and schizophrenia, can, in some cases, result in TD, and Whereas, individuals who are taking any of these medications and are 55 years of age or older, have a substance use disorder, or are postmenopausal are more susceptible to
contracting TD, and Whereas, this illness may affect an individual’s ability to sleep (64 percent); write or
type, or both (48 percent); or eat or drink (37 percent), and Whereas, in 2017, after extensive research, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved Ingrezza (valbenazine) as the first drug to respond to TD, and Whereas, medical authorities stress how important it is that health care providers who prescribe an antipsychotic medication monitor the patient for possible indications of TD,
and Whereas, nationally, the first full week of May—this year occurring from May 5–11—
is observed as Tardive Dyskinesia Awareness Week, and Governor Scott has recognized this important observance in the State of Vermont, now therefore be it Resolved by the Senate and House of Representatives:
That the General Assembly recognizes the importance of public awareness of tardive dyskinesia, and be it further Resolved: That the Secretary of State be directed to send a copy of this resolution to
BGR Senior Policy Analyst Ellen Brown in Washington, DC.
VT LEG #377677 v.1