§ 906 - Definitions - Vermont Statutes

§ 906. Definitions

As used in this subchapter:

(1) "Serious functional impairment" means:

(A) a disorder of thought, mood, perception, orientation, or memory as diagnosed by a qualified mental health professional, which substantially impairs judgment, behavior, capacity to recognize reality, or ability to meet the ordinary demands of life and which substantially impairs the ability to function within the correctional setting; or

(B) a developmental disability, traumatic brain injury or other organic brain disorder, or various forms of dementia or other neurological disorders, as diagnosed by a qualified mental health professional, which substantially impairs the ability to function in the correctional setting.

(2) "Qualified mental health professional" means a person with professional training, experience, and demonstrated competence in the treatment of mental illness or serious functional impairments who is a physician, psychiatrist, psychologist, social worker, nurse, or other qualified person determined by the commissioner of mental health.

(3) "Mental illness or disorder" means a condition that falls under any Axis I diagnostic categories or the following Axis II diagnostic categories as listed in the American Psychiatric Association's Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders DSM-IV-TR Fourth Edition (Text Revision), as updated from time to time: borderline personality disorder, histrionic personality disorder, mental retardation, obsessive-compulsive personality disorder, paranoid personality disorder, schizoid personality disorder, or schizotypal personality disorder.

(4) "Screening" means an initial survey, which shall be trauma-informed, to identify whether an inmate has immediate treatment needs or is in need of further evaluation. (Added 1993, No. 224 (Adj. Sess.), § 1; amended 1995, No. 174 (Adj. Sess.), § 3; 2007, No. 15, § 22; 2009, No. 26, § 2.)