SENATE HEALTH, HUMAN SERVICES AND SENIOR
CITIZENS COMMITTEE
STATEMENT TO
ASSEMBLY JOINT RESOLUTION No. 120
STATE OF NEW JERSEY
DATED: DECEMBER 19, 2024
The Senate Health, Human Services and Senior Citizens
Committee reports favorably Assembly Joint Resolution No. 120.
This resolution designates the first full week of May of each year
as “Tardive Dyskinesia Awareness Week” in New Jersey. Tardive
Dyskinesia (TD) is a persistent, irreversible, and potentially disabling
neurological condition characterized by uncontrollable repetitive
movements of the face, torso, or other body parts. This involuntary
movement disorder is caused by medications that help control
dopamine, such as antipsychotics prescribed to treat people living with
mental illnesses such as schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, and major
depression. People with mental health conditions, such as bipolar
disorder, major depression, schizophrenia, and schizoaffective
disorder, or gastrointestinal disorders, including gastroparesis, nausea,
and vomiting, may be treated with medications that work as dopamine
receptor blocking agents (DRBAs). It is estimated that about 1.1
million adults in New Jersey, or 16.14 percent of adults in the State,
are living with a mental illness and as a result are likely to receive
DRBAs as a form of treatment, which can lead to the onset of TD.
It is vital that people taking DRBAs are monitored for TD through
regular screenings as recommended by the American Psychiatric
Association because long-term use of DRBAs can lead to the onset of
TD. People living with TD face physical, social, and emotional
barriers due to the stigma associated with uncontrollable movements,
which can further lead to worsened mental health symptoms and cause
embarrassment or withdrawal from society. It is estimated that TD
affects approximately 600,000 people in the U.S. and approximately
70 percent of people with TD have not been diagnosed. Although TD
is treatable, many people with the disorder are unaware of the
treatment options. Raising awareness about the symptoms and impact
of TD will promote the importance of early screening, diagnosis, and
treatment.