932                              Laws of Maryland                       Ch. 407

(d)  "Department" shall mean the Department of Mental Hygiene
of the State of Maryland.

(e)  "Facility" shall mean any clinic, hospital, or other institu-
tion, public or private, other than a Veterans' Administration Hos-
pital, which purports to or does provide treatment or other services
for persons having any mental disorder.

(f)  "Mental disorder" means mental illness or mental retardation
or any other form of behavioral or emotional illness resulting from
any psychiatric or neurological disorder.

(g)  "Mental illness" means any mental disorder, other than men-
tal retardation, which so substantially impairs the mental or emo-
tional functioning of an individual as to make it necessary or advis-
able for the welfare of the person so suffering or for the safety of
the persons or property of others that the mentally ill person receive
care and treatment. The term shall replace the words "insane", "in-
sanity", "lunacy", "mentally sick", "mental disease", "unsound mind"
and similar words as they appear in the statutes of the State of
Maryland but does not include mental retardation.

(h) "Mental retardation" means a degree of subnormality of in-
tellectual development expected to be of life duration which reduces
the individual's capability to manage himself or his affairs. The
term shall replace the terms "defective", "mental defective", "idiot",
"feeble minded" and "moron" as they may appear in the statutes
of the State of Maryland.

(i) "Psychiatrist" shall mean any person licensed to practice
medicine in the State of Maryland who devotes a substantial pro-
portion of his time to the practice of psychiatry.

(j) "Physician" shall mean any person licensed by the State of
Maryland to practice medicine in the State.

(k) "Release" shall mean any discharge, parole or other depar-
ture from a facility or a Veterans' Administration Hospital; by and
with the consent of someone having authority to consent to such
departure; of any patient of such facility or Veterans' Administra-
tion Hospital whether on a permanent or temporary, absolute or
conditional basis.

(l) "Responsible relative" means, for the purpose of reimburse-
ment of cost of care and treatment, the spouse of a patient, parent
or parents of a child or children under the age of 21 years, or a
child or children of patients receiving care and treatment in public
facilities. No liability shall be imposed by this definition on the
spouse or child of any patient who has been abandoned by that
patient. Abandonment as used herein shall be defined by the Depart-
ment of Mental Hygiene in accordance with the Administrative Pro-
cedure Act.

(m) "Secretary" shall mean the Secretary of Health and Mental
Hygiene of the State of Maryland.

(n) "Treatment" means any process by which professional care
or attention is given to any patient in a facility with the end in
mind to either improve or prevent the worsening of any mental
disorder.