Egypt's law regulates involuntary admission to mental health facilities

Egypt's Mental Health Care law, specifically Article 13, outlines the conditions for involuntary admission to a mental health facility. A patient can only be admitted with a psychiatrist's approval if there are clear signs of severe mental illness requiring such admission. This includes cases where there is a strong and imminent risk of severe deterioration in the patient's mental condition, or if the illness poses a serious and imminent threat to the safety, health, or life of the patient or others. If a patient refuses admission, the family, facility director, local social service office, and the National or Regional Council for Mental Health must be notified within 24 hours, along with a report on the patient's mental state. Article 14 allows a non-psychiatrist physician at a mental health facility to involuntarily admit a patient for evaluation for up to 48 hours under specific circumstances. This admission requires a written request from a relative up to the second degree, a police officer, a social worker, a health inspector, a foreign patient's consul, or a psychiatrist not affiliated with the facility or patient. The Public Prosecution must be informed within 24 hours. A responsible psychiatrist can cancel compulsory admission if the justifications cease to exist, notifying the facility manager, social service office, regional mental health council, the patient, and their family.