Mental Health (Compulsory Assessment and Treatment) Act 1992, s 2, definition of “mental disorder”
As we explained above under “mental disorder”, one of the necessary elements in the definition of “mental disorder” under the Mental Health Act is that you must have “delusions” or a “disorder of mood, perception, volition or cognition”. If you don’t have one of these mental states, then you don’t have a “mental disorder” and you can’t be made to have treatment under the Mental Health Act.
“Delusions” include having false beliefs – for example, a person believing they’re related to the British royal family when they’re not.
Here we explain and give examples of “disorders of mood, perception, volition or cognition”:
Disorders of mood – A mood disorder could include, for example, being very depressed or being on a “high”.
Disorders of perception – A perception disorder could include, for example, hearing voices or seeing things that no-one else can hear or see.
Disorders of volition – “Volition” means free will, and so a “disorder of volition” is where you don’t have the power to consciously choose to do or not do something. This could include, for example, very serious depression that stops you speaking or moving for some time (sometimes called a “depressive stupor”, or “catatonic depression”), or when you hear voices telling you to do things (“command hallucinations”).
Disorders of cognition – “Cognition” is all about thinking, knowing, understanding, remembering and so on. So disorders of cognition could include, for example, when your memory, judgement or other thought processes are disrupted by a psychotic state, or when they’re slowed right down by severe depression, or sped right up in a manic state.
Note: The definition of “mental disorder” in the Mental Health Act is all about the particular symptoms a person has, and not about whether they’ve been diagnosed by mental health professionals with a recognised mental illness, like “bipolar disorder” (manic depression).