Tennessee Senate Bill SR0194

Tennessee 2023-2024 Regular Session

• Introduced: 2/29/24
• Enrolled: 3/26/24
• Passed: 3/26/24

Caption

A RESOLUTION to designate the week of May 5-11, 2024, as "Tardive Dyskinesia Awareness Week" in Tennessee.

Impact

The establishment of a dedicated awareness week is expected to facilitate public education regarding tardive dyskinesia and its implications. This could lead to increased screenings and conversations about mental health medications and the potential side effects associated with them. By promoting awareness, the resolution encourages the healthcare community to monitor individuals using DRBAs more closely, aligning with recommendations from the American Psychiatric Association. Ultimately, this initiative could contribute to improved patient outcomes through earlier diagnosis and intervention.

Summary

Senate Resolution 194 (SR0194) is a resolution aimed at designating the week of May 5-11, 2024, as 'Tardive Dyskinesia Awareness Week' in the state of Tennessee. This initiative seeks to raise awareness about tardive dyskinesia (TD), a movement disorder that can result from prolonged use of dopamine receptor blocking agents (DRBAs), often prescribed for serious mental health conditions. The resolution highlights the importance of recognizing the symptoms, monitoring patients, and encouraging further education about the impact of TD, despite many individuals suffering from it remaining undiagnosed.

Contention

While the resolution is largely supportive of raising awareness, there may be differing opinions about the effectiveness of such initiatives in genuinely impacting health outcomes. Critics might argue that awareness weeks alone cannot address the deeper systemic issues related to mental health treatment and the availability of resources for those affected by tardive dyskinesia. However, the unifying goal of educating the public may outweigh such contentions, thus fostering a collaborative environment for enhancing understanding of this condition.