Defining and Counting the Chronically Mentally III

Defining ‘Mental Illness’ In Mental Health Policy

“…15 The first step in the process and the first chapter in the National Plan involved defining the target population and estimating its size and other dimensions. 16 The definition emphasized the duration of disability for people with the most severe disorders. When service users and advocates complained that the term "chronic mental illness" had negative connotations, the term was changed to "severe and persistent mental illness.…”

Measuring the Need for Mental Health Care

“…8 Some individuals may have "severe diagnoses," but it may be misleading to categorize them as severely mentally ill because their course of illness is not prolonged or seriously impairing. On the other hand, many individuals, such as those with severe personality disorders or substance use disorders, may run highly incapacitating courses of illness.…”

Patterns Of Use And Costs Among Severely Mentally Ill People

“…The criteria used are reasonably consistent with definitions used by Howard Goldman and colleagues and by the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH). 8 The results discussed here pertain to the two-thirds of the NAMI population who were resident in the community and met criteria for having a severe and persistent mental illness.…”