Cal. Code Regs. Tit. 9, § 3701 - Definitions

(a) "Prevention and Early Intervention regulations" means sections 3200.245 and 3200.246 of Article 2, sections 3510.010, 3560, 3560.010, and 3560.020 of Article 5, and Article 7.

(b) "Program" as used in the Prevention and Early Intervention regulations means a stand-alone organized and planned work, action or approach that evidence indicates is likely to bring about positive mental health outcomes either for individuals and families with or at risk of serious mental illness or for the mental health system.

(c) "Strategy" as used in the Prevention and Early Intervention regulations means a planned and specified method within a Program intended to achieve a defined goal.

(d) "Mental illness" and "mental disorder" as used in the Prevention and Early Intervention regulations means, a syndrome characterized by clinically significant disturbance in an individual's cognition, emotion regulation, or behavior that reflects a dysfunction in the psychological or biological processes underlying mental functioning. Mental illness is usually associated with significant distress or disability in social, occupational, or other important activities. An expected or culturally approved response to a common stressor or loss, such as the death of a loved one, is not a mental illness. Socially variant behavior (e.g. political, religious, or sexual) and conflicts that are primarily between the individual and society are not mental illness unless the variance or conflict results from a dysfunction in the individual, as described above.

(e) "Serious mental illness," "serious mental disorder" and "severe mental illness" as used in the Prevention and Early Intervention regulations means, a mental illness that is severe in degree and persistent in duration, which may cause behavioral functioning which interferes substantially with the primary activities of daily living, and which may result in an inability to maintain stable adjustment and independent functioning without treatment, support, and rehabilitation for a long or indefinite period of time. These mental illnesses include, but are not limited to, schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder, as well as major affective disorders or other severely disabling mental disorders.

(f) The definition in subdivision (d) is applicable to serious emotional disturbance for individuals under the age of 18, other than a primary substance use disorder or developmental disorder, which results in behavior inappropriate to the individual's age according to expected developmental norms.

Notes

Cal. Code Regs. Tit. 9, § 3701

Note: Authority cited: Section 5846, Welfare and Institutions Code. Reference: Sections 5600.3 and 5840, Welfare and Institutions Code.

1. New section filed 10-7-2015; operative 10-7-2015 pursuant to Government Code section 11343.4(b)(3) (Register 2015, No. 41).