Touchdownyou know these td moves But if you have uncontrollable movements,
it might be the other TD—Tardive Dyskinesia

Lori: I have this condition. It wasn’t my fault. It’s what happened to me and this is my life now.
Terrell Davis: When people hear TD, they often think of touchdowns, I’ve scored plenty of those myself, but today, we’re here to talk about another TD – tardive dyskinesia. I don’t have TD, but I do know what it’s like to feel isolated, anxious, and embarrassed because of my mental and chronic health struggles. That experience is part of why I’m here today, not as an expert, but as someone who believes these conversations matter and that nobody should have to navigate something like this alone. I’m joined by Lori, who is living with TD, her husband and care partner Chris, and Jayson Gesulga, a physician associate who treats patients living with TD. All right, we’ll start with Jayson here. For someone who’s never heard of tardive dyskinesia, how would you explain it?
Jayson Gesulga: So 1 in 4 people that are taking certain mental health medications are found to have tardive dyskinesia. It’s a neurological condition that’s involuntary. The patient’s moving and they’re not choosing to move.
Terrell Davis: And Lori, tell me about the first time that you experienced these movements.
Lori: Well, I didn’t notice them at first. My husband and son noticed them and said my mouth was moving in a strange way. I called the doctor and told him, and he got me in right away. But it was years later before the medication became available. So I continued to get worse.
Chris: At first, many of the doctors really didn’t know what was going on.
Lori: There are days that I just go to bed early because my jaw is so tired from moving from the day.
Terrell Davis: For someone experiencing those movements, what would you encourage them to say when they go see their healthcare provider?
Lori: They need to be rather specific. My tongue moved this way. My lips moved this way. I can’t smile correctly. They need to go in with notes, maybe even a short film of the movements so that the doctor can see what they’re dealing with.
Chris: That really, really did help because then the doctor could see in a natural setting how the movements were.
Jayson Gesulga: It’s very helpful for me as a clinician, when somebody brings in a video or notes that you’re taking so we can get right to it. Sometimes our time can be limited in the clinic, so that’s really helpful to get right to the point. When I practice I look at it as a team effort. I’m just there as your guide, your coach, your care partner. And together we’re trying to discover your goals for treatment and we work together for that. And we can involve as many people or specialists as we want to and we have that shared goal that we all work toward.
Terrell Davis: When TD gets managed and recognized, what does that actually give back?
Lori: One thing about the TD, what becomes possible again. I can function. I can get out of bed. I can do housework. There are things that I can’t do, but I’m happy.
Chris: That’s what I’m here for.
Lori: I’m happy with the way things are. The movements now are mild.
Jayson Gesulga: I really believe when you treat tardive dyskinesia, it gets you back on that track to live your best life.
Chris: Living the best life. I think we’re living the best life.
Lori: I think we are. Despite the TD, we’re living it.