Article 2 of the Saudi Mental Health Law

This Article explains the purposes for which the Law was made, which are three:

1. Regulating and strengthening the mental health care that mental patients need. Under Article 1, mental health care covers preventive, treatment and rehabilitation services.
2. Protecting the rights of mental patients and preserving their dignity, and the dignity of their families and of society. The Law does not look at the patient alone but takes into account his family and the society around him.
3. Setting a mechanism for how mental patients are treated in mental treatment facilities, which Article 1 defines as facilities that provide diagnosis, treatment and rehabilitation in the public and private sectors.

An objectives Article is also practically important: it helps in understanding the rest of the Law and in interpreting it where it is unclear, since texts are read in light of their purpose. A provision concerning the mental patient is understood as seeking to combine his treatment with protecting his rights and dignity.

These objectives start to be achieved in practice through the oversight bodies the Law creates, among them the General Supervisory Council for Mental Health Care regulated in Article 3.

This Article does not itself contain detailed rights or obligations; it sets the general framework that the later Articles go on to detail.

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