Wisconsin Code § 51.01

Definitions
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As used in this chapter, except where otherwise expressly provided:
(1d) “Active psychosis” means a severe mental condition
where an individual’s mental reality is separated from the individual’s physical reality and the individual experiences symptoms such as hallucinations or delusions.
(1h) “Alcoholic” means a person who is suffering from
alcoholism.
(1m) “Alcoholism” is a disease which is characterized by the
dependency of a person on the drug alcohol, to the extent that the
person’s health is substantially impaired or endangered or his or
her social or economic functioning is substantially disrupted.
(2) “Approved treatment facility” means any publicly or privately operated treatment facility or unit thereof approved by the
department for treatment of alcoholic, drug dependent, mentally
ill or developmentally disabled persons.
(2c) “Approved tribal treatment facility” means a treatment
agency that operates under the direction and control of a federally
recognized American Indian tribe or band in this state and meets
the standards prescribed for approved treatment facilities under s.
51.45 (8) (a) and is approved under s. 51.45 (8) (c).
(2g) (a) “Brain injury” means any injury to the brain, regardless of age at onset, whether mechanical or infectious in origin,
including brain trauma, brain damage and traumatic head injury,
the results of which are expected to continue indefinitely, which
constitutes a substantial handicap to the individual, and which directly results in any 2 or more of the following:
1. Attention impairment.
2. Cognition impairment.
3. Language impairment.
4. Memory impairment.
5. Conduct disorder.
6. Motor disorder.

7. Any other neurological dysfunction.
(am) “Brain injury” includes any injury to the brain under par.
(a) that is vascular in origin if received by a person prior to his or
her attaining the age of 22 years.
(b) “Brain injury” does not include alcoholism, Alzheimer’s
disease as specified under s. 46.87 (1) (a), or degenerative brain
disorder, as defined in s. 55.01 (1v).
(3) “Center for the developmentally disabled” means any facility which is operated by the department and which provides
services including, but not limited to, 24-hour treatment, consultation, training and education for developmentally disabled
persons.
(3n) “Community mental health program” means a program
to provide community-based outpatient mental health services
that is operated by or under contract with a county department of
community programs or that requests payment for the services
under the medical assistance program or under benefits required
under s. 632.89 (2).
(3s) “Community support program” means a coordinated
care and treatment system that provides a network of services
through an identified treatment program and staff to ensure ongoing therapeutic involvement and individualized treatment in the
community for individuals with serious and persistent mental
illness.
(4) “Conditional transfer” means a transfer of a patient or resident to a less restrictive environment for treatment which is made
subject to conditions imposed for the benefit of the patient or
resident.
(4g) “County of residence” means the county that is determined under s. 51.40 to be the county of residence.
(4r) “Degenerative brain disorder” means the loss or dysfunction of brain cells to the extent that the individual is substantially
impaired in his or her ability to provide adequately for his or her
own care or custody or to manage adequately his or her property
or financial affairs.
(5) (a) “Developmental disability” means a disability attributable to brain injury, cerebral palsy, epilepsy, autism, PraderWilli syndrome, intellectual disability, or another neurological
condition closely related to an intellectual disability or requiring
treatment similar to that required for individuals with an intellectual disability, which has continued or can be expected to continue indefinitely and constitutes a substantial handicap to the afflicted individual. “Developmental disability” does not include
dementia that is primarily caused by degenerative brain disorder.
(b) “Developmental disability”, for purposes of involuntary
commitment, does not include cerebral palsy or epilepsy.
(6) “Director” means the person in charge of a state treatment
facility, state or local treatment center, or approved private
facility.
(7) “Discharge” of a patient who is under involuntary commitment orders means a termination of custody and treatment
obligations of the patient to the authority to which the patient was
committed by court action. The “discharge” of a patient who is
voluntarily admitted to a treatment program or facility means a
termination of treatment obligations between the patient and the
treatment program or facility.
(8) “Drug dependence” means a disease that is characterized
by a person’s use of one or more drugs that is beyond the person’s
ability to control to the extent that the person’s physical health is
substantially impaired or his or her social or economic functioning is substantially disrupted.
(8b) “Drug dependent” means suffering from drug
dependence.
(8m) “Health care professional” means any of the following:
(a) A registered nurse who is licensed under s. 441.06, who is
permitted under s. 441.08, or who holds a multistate license, as
defined in s. 441.51 (2) (h), issued in a party state, as defined in s.
441.51 (2) (k).
(b) A licensed practical nurse who is licensed or has a temporary permit under s. 441.10 or who holds a multistate license, as
defined in s. 441.51 (2) (h), issued in a party state, as defined in s.
441.51 (2) (k).
(c) A physician who is licensed to practice medicine and
surgery under s. 448.02.
(d) A physician assistant who is licensed under s. 448.974.
(e) A psychologist who is licensed to practice psychology under subch. I of ch. 455.
(f) A person providing psychological services under s. 455.02
(2m) (o).
(9) “Hospital” has the meaning given under s. 50.33.
(10) “Inpatient facility” means a public or private hospital or
unit of a hospital which has as its primary purpose the diagnosis,
treatment and rehabilitation of mental illness, developmental disability, alcoholism or drug abuse and which provides 24-hour
care.
(10m) “Juvenile correctional facility” has the meaning given
in s. 938.02 (10p).
(11) “Law enforcement officer” means any person who by
virtue of the person’s office or public employment is vested by
law with the duty to maintain public order or to make arrests for
crimes while acting within the scope of the person’s authority.
(11m) “Licensed mental health professional” has the meaning given in s. 632.89 (1) (dm).
(12) “Mental health institute” means any institution operated
by the department for specialized psychiatric services, research,
education, and which is responsible for consultation with community programs for education and quality of care.
(13) (a) “Mental illness” means mental disease to such extent that a person so afflicted requires care and treatment for his
or her own welfare, or the welfare of others, or of the community.
(b) “Mental illness”, for purposes of involuntary commitment, means a substantial disorder of thought, mood, perception,
orientation, or memory which grossly impairs judgment, behavior, capacity to recognize reality, or ability to meet the ordinary
demands of life, but does not include alcoholism.
(14) “Residence” has the meaning given under s. 49.001 (6).
(14k) “Secured residential care center for children and
youth” has the meaning given in s. 938.02 (15g).
(14t) “Serious and persistent mental illness” means a mental
illness that is severe in degree and persistent in duration, that
causes a substantially diminished level of functioning in the primary aspects of daily living and an inability to cope with the ordinary demands of life, that may lead to an inability to maintain stable adjustment and independent functioning without long-term
treatment and support, and that may be of lifelong duration. “Serious and persistent mental illness” includes schizophrenia as
well as a wide spectrum of psychotic and other severely disabling
psychiatric diagnostic categories, but does not include degenerative brain disorder or a primary diagnosis of a developmental disability or of alcohol or drug dependence.
(15) “State treatment facility” means any of the institutions
operated by the department for the purpose of providing diagnosis, care or treatment for mental or emotional disturbance, developmental disability, alcoholism or drug dependency and includes
but is not limited to mental health institutes.
(16) “Transfer” means the movement of a patient or resident

between approved treatment facilities or to or from an approved
treatment facility and the community.
(17) “Treatment” means those psychological, educational,
social, chemical, medical or somatic techniques designed to bring
about rehabilitation of a mentally ill, alcoholic, drug dependent
or developmentally disabled person.
(18) “Treatment director” means the person who has primary
responsibility for the treatment provided by a treatment facility.
The term includes the medical director of a facility.
(19) “Treatment facility” means any publicly or privately operated facility or unit thereof providing treatment of alcoholic,
drug dependent, mentally ill or developmentally disabled persons, including but not limited to inpatient and outpatient treatment programs, community support programs and rehabilitation
programs.

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