Egypt's law regulates patient's involuntary admission to mental health facilities

CAIRO - 22 April 2026: No person may be involuntarily admitted to a mental health facility for treatment except with the approval of a psychiatrist, according to Article 13 of the Egyptian Mental Health Care law. 

 

The article also stipulates that the person only may be admitted when there are clear signs indicating a severe mental illness requiring admission to such a facility. 

 

The article also listed two cases that identifies the symptoms:

 

First: There is a strong and imminent risk of severe deterioration in the patient's mental condition.

 

Second: The symptoms of the mental illness pose a serious and imminent threat to the safety, health, or life of the patient, or the safety, health, or lives of others.

 

In both cases, if the patient refuse admission to the facility for necessary treatment, then the family, the facility director, the social service office in the patient's area of ​​residence, and the National Council for Mental Health or the Regional Council for Mental Health must be notified of the involuntary admission decision within 24 hours of the patient's admission, along with a report containing an assessment of the patient's mental condition.

 

All of this is subject to the provisions of the executive regulations of this law.

 

Article 14 also stipulates that a physician who is not a psychiatrist at one of the mental health facilities stipulated in this law may, in the two cases stipulated in the preceding article and in accordance with the provisions set forth therein, admit a patient involuntarily for evaluation of their condition for a period not exceeding 48 hours.

 

 

This admission is based on a written request submitted to the facility by any of the following persons:

 

1- A relative of the patient up to the second degree.

 

2- A police officer.

 

3- The social worker in the district.

 

4- The competent health inspector.

 

5- The consul of the country to which the foreign patient belongs.

 

6- A psychiatrist who does not work at that facility and is not related to the patient or the facility director up to the second degree.

 

The matter shall be referred to the Public Prosecution within a period not exceeding twenty-four hours for appropriate action.

 

The responsible psychiatrist may cancel the compulsory admission before the end of the period referred to in the first paragraph of this article if its justifications cease to exist, provided that he informs the facility manager, the social service office and the regional mental health council of this decision, and informs the patient and the family of this decision.