(a) A certificate of need for commitment for care and treatment of a person with mental illness, serious emotional disturbance, or developmental disability is not valid for any purpose unless it is based on personal observation and examination of the person made by the professional not more than three (3) days prior to the making of the certificate. The certificate shall state the facts and reasoning on which the opinions and conclusions are based.

Attorney's Note

Under the Tennessee Code, punishments for crimes depend on the classification. In the case of this section:
ClassPrisonFine
class E felony1 to 6 yearsup to $3,000
For details, see Tenn. Code § 40-35-111

Terms Used In Tennessee Code 33-4-108

  • Mental illness: means a psychiatric disorder, alcohol dependence, or drug dependence, but does not include intellectual disability or other developmental disabilities as defined in title 52. See Tennessee Code 33-1-101
  • Person: includes a corporation, firm, company or association. See Tennessee Code 1-3-105
  • Serious emotional disturbance: means a condition in a child who currently or at any time during the past year has had a diagnosable mental, behavioral, or emotional disorder of sufficient duration to meet psychiatric diagnostic criteria that results in functional impairment that substantially interferes with or limits the child's role or functioning in family, school, or community activities and includes any mental disorder, regardless of whether it is of biological etiology. See Tennessee Code 33-1-101
  • State: when applied to the different parts of the United States, includes the District of Columbia and the several territories of the United States. See Tennessee Code 1-3-105
(b) The execution of a certificate concerning the mental condition of a person by a professional who has not personally observed and examined the person is a Class E felony.
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