The Mental Health Act 1983 is amended as follows.
In section 1 (application of Act: “mental disorder”)—
“autism” means a lifelong developmental disorder of the mind that affects how people perceive, communicate and interact with others;
“learning disability” means a state of arrested or incomplete development of the mind which includes significant impairment of intelligence;
“psychiatric disorder” means mental disorder other than autism or learning disability;
;;;
(2A)For the purposes of this Act, a person’s learning disability has “serious behavioural consequences” if it is associated with abnormally aggressive or seriously irresponsible conduct by the person.
;
In section 145 (interpretation of the Mental Health Act 1983), in subsection (1), at the appropriate places insert—
“autism” has the meaning given in section 1;
“learning disability” has the meaning given in section 1;
“psychiatric disorder” has the meaning given in section 1;
“serious behavioural consequences”, in relation to a person’s learning disability, is to be read in accordance with section 1(2A);
Schedule 1 amends the Mental Health Act 1983 to—