Medical Care Assistance Program

Tardive dyskinesia is a movement disorder characterized by continuous and random muscular movements of the tongue, mouth and face. It can sometimes affect other body parts too, like the extremities, resulting in finger movements. In severe cases the legs can be affected as well making walking difficult. In rare cases respiration muscles could be affected generating breathing difficulties.

What are the chances of developing TD?

The exact mechanisms of tardive dyskinesia are not yet known. It seems that the long term blocking of dopamine receptors causes the increase of their numbers, which can generate random muscle contractions. Anti-psychotic drugs work by blocking the above mentioned receptors.

Tardive dyskinesia appears as a side effect of older generation anti-psychotic drugs especially if they are used for a long period of time. For some persons, like the ones suffering from schizophrenia long term treatment is unavoidable. The risks of developing side effects increases depending on the duration of exposure to the drug, older age, alcoholism, post-menopausal females and mental retardation.

The exact number of persons suffering from TD is unknown. However studies have revealed that 5% of young patients being treated with older generation anti-psychotic drugs will develop tardive dyskinesia within one year. Over their lifetimes almost 60% of them will face the movement disorder. In case of older patients 26% of them will develop the side effects within one year.

TD treatments

TD is not always easy to diagnose. There are many other conditions that can cause movement disorders. Persons suffering from different type of brain damages or even simply very old people can develop similar conditions. Before considering a TD diagnose doctors will document the patient’s history with anti-psychotic drugs. Read the rest of this entry »

Mental health is beyond the absence of mental illness. It is “a state of emotional and social well-being in which every individual realizes his or her own abilities, can cope with the normal stresses of life, can work productively, and is able to make a contribution to his or her community’”, as defined by the World Health Organization (WHO).

Mental health includes having the necessary life aptitude, social skills as well as having a balance in different aspects of life. It contributes to building resilience and improves individual learning potential.

Below are the descriptions of each stage of the mental health continuum:

Mental Wellness

Mental wellness or mental health support is about increasing proficiency, resilience, emotional and social well-being, as well as creating supportive atmospheres for all. It seeks to develop social and emotional competencies and life skills, and incorporate children and youth protective factors against mental illness.

Mental Health Problems

Mental health problems occur when someone is in a susceptible position of entering into the mental illness continuum. They do not have adequate resources and capacity to manage with the challenges they are facing and need better support from others to help them through the hard times. Some people with unsettled mental health problems might go to develop a mental illness.

Mental Illness

This stage is a more serious or ongoing medical problem, which needs medical treatment, support and diagnosis.

Mental illnesses can be put into two types – neuroses and psychoses.

Neuroses: Symptoms are typically of less severity than psychoses although they are distressing for those involved. The person is still in touch with reality. They are aware of the fact they are ill and have some worries over their illness.

Psychoses: Symptoms are generally severe so much so that the person really looses touch with the real world. People are usually not alert to the fact that they are ill or their actions are abnormal. Read the rest of this entry »