The mental category classification of detained patients, as designated in the Mental Health Act 1983:
|
a) |
Mental disorder: mental illness, arrested or incomplete development of mind, psychopathic disorder and any other disorder or disability of mind. |
|
b) |
Severe mental impairment: a state of arrested or incomplete development of mind which includes severe impairment of intelligence and social functioning and is associated with abnormally aggressive or seriously irresponsible conduct on the part of the person concerned. |
|
c) |
Mental impairment: a lesser degree of "severe mental impairment". |
|
d) |
Psychopathic disorder: a persistent disorder or disability of mind (whether or not including significant impairment of intelligence) which results in abnormally aggressive or seriously irresponsible conduct on the part of the person concerned. |
|
e) |
Other: mental category as yet unspecified. |
For KP90 and Psychiatric Census, a patient should be included under only one mental category.
However, in other cases, where a patient has been assigned more than one then:
a. "mental illness" takes precedence over the others
b. "(severe) mental impairment" takes precedence over "psychopathic disorder".
|
Mental Category |
Includes patients who have been assigned: |
|
Mental Disorder |
- Mental illness - Mental illness and severe mental impairment - Mental illness and mental impairment - Mental illness and psychopathic disorder |
|
Severe mental impairment |
- Severe mental impairment - Severe mental impairment and psychopathic disorder |
|
Mental Impairment |
- Mental impairment - Mental impairment and psychopathic disorder |
|
Psychopathic disorder |
- Psychopathic disorder |
Notes:
1. Informal patients, including those with a mental handicap admitted for short-stay care as an emergency or for social reasons, should not have a mental category applied to them.
2. Patients admitted to hospital under earlier acts who retain the classification of sub-normality or severe sub normality should be recorded as mental impairment or severe mental impairment respectively.
See Mental Category, Data Items (A - Z)