To raise awareness about tardive dyskinesia, the nonprofit Rural Minds has launched an educational webpage, “Tardive Dyskinesia: What You Need to Know,” with support from Neurocrine Biosciences and Teva Pharmaceutical Industries.

Tardive dyskinesia is a movement disorder that causes uncontrolled, repetitive movements of the face, body, or both that can impact a person’s professional, educational, social, and emotional life. The movements can include blinking, grimacing, lip-smacking, or jerking motions of the arms, legs, or torso, and they are not within a person’s control. The condition is associated with the use of antipsychotic medications that may be necessary to treat people living with mental illness.

In line with its mission to provide educational content to promote mental wellness and confront the stigma that can surround mental illness in rural communities, Rural Minds has designed the new online information hub to provide factual information and support around an often-misunderstood condition.

Content on the TD webpage provides an overview of tardive dyskinesia and includes a new, brief video with a healthcare professional who is an expert in screening for TD. The video covers what causes TD, signs and symptoms, and the importance of early diagnosis and screening for the condition. While the option of virtual screening for TD has some limitations compared with in-person screening, it may be preferred by people living in a rural area who travel greater distances to meet with a healthcare provider.

“We are pleased to feature this educational content on the Rural Minds website. It will help people living with TD in rural America and those who care for them to better understand the diagnosis and treatment of tardive dyskinesia,” said Jeff Winton, Rural Minds founder and chairman. “The webpage also provides access to a TD fact sheet, blog post, recorded webinar on managing tardive dyskinesia in rural America, and access to TD online information and resources.”

For more information visit the page at www.ruralminds.org/tdawareness.