---
type: "LegalText"
title: "42 U.S.C. § 10851"
description: "Construction of subchapters I and II; “individual with mental illness” defined"
jurisdiction: "us"
corpus: "united_states_code"
kind: "code_section"
title_number: 42
title_name: "THE PUBLIC HEALTH AND WELFARE"
chapter_number: "114"
chapter_name: "PROTECTION AND ADVOCACY FOR INDIVIDUALS WITH MENTAL ILLNESS"
section: "10851"
citation: "42 U.S.C. § 10851"
status: "current"
release_point: "119-100"
release_date: "2026-06-26"
source: "official"
source_url: "https://uscode.house.gov/download/releasepoints/us/pl/119/100/xml_usc42@119-100.zip"
source_identifier: "/us/usc/t42/s10851"
source_file: "data/legal/raw/us/code/title-42/usc42.xml"
source_hash: "4af6e7377372e8aaa914d86eaefc9a0891cd0ee44aa59362abab61dc573ebbb6"
raw_snapshot_hash: "644321055a08eb1f260a6a3e31ac157fa024756abf612a9fd6857e7e400cf24e"
text_hash: "f9db057fdca27b16a1839e32ed1a82cf3de36bed33acf59a9914e2ca1deae005"
retrieved_at: "2026-07-04"
confidence: "official"
tags: ["legal", "us-code"]
---

# 42 U.S.C. § 10851 - Construction of subchapters I and II; “individual with mental illness” defined

## Text

(a) Subchapters I and II shall not be construed as establishing any new rights for individuals with mental illness.

(b) For purposes of this section, the term “individual with mental illness” has the same meaning as in section 10802(3) 11 See References in Text note below. of this title.

(Pub. L. 99–319, title III, § 301, May 23, 1986, 100 Stat. 489; Pub. L. 102–173, § 10, Nov. 27, 1991, 105 Stat. 1219.)

## Notes

Editorial Notes

References in TextSection 10802(3) of this title, referred to in subsec. (b), was redesignated section 10802(4) of this title by Pub. L. 102–173, § 4(1), Nov. 27, 1991, 105 Stat. 1217.

Amendments1991—Pub. L. 102–173, substituted “individuals with mental illness” for “mentally ill individuals” in subsec. (a) and “individual with mental illness” for “mentally ill individual” in subsec. (b).