Article 10 of the Saudi Mental Health Law

This Article regulates voluntary admission, which is the default for admission to mental treatment facilities. It contains three provisions:

1. Written consent: admission requires written consent from the mental patient if he is able to make the decision himself, or from his guardian. Under Article 1, the guardian is the person who holds legal guardianship over the person.
2. Right to leave: a patient who entered voluntarily has the right to leave whenever he wishes.
3. The exception: the right to leave at once falls away if the conditions for compulsory admission apply to the patient. This Article does not state those conditions; they appear in their place in the Law.

This is consistent with the rights set out in Article 9, including that the patient may not be admitted to any mental treatment facility except under the provisions of the Law, and the preservation of his liberty.

The practical meaning is that voluntary admission does not turn the patient into a detainee: the facility cannot stop him from leaving merely because it wants to complete his treatment, unless his condition becomes one to which the conditions for compulsory admission apply and its procedures are followed.

After this Article comes Article 11, which regulates emergency admission.

If you have a specific case, it is best to consult a lawyer who specializes in health regulations and patients' rights.