The public mental health services are provided mainly by the Ministry of Health (MoH). Under the Ministry of Health, “the General Administration for Mental Health and Social Services” (Qureshi et al., 2013, mental health organization and services section) manages and develops the mental health service delivery by following the core themes of the World Health Organization (WHO; Qureshi et al., 2013). Qureshi et al. (2013) provides that “one of the main tasks of the MoH is to improve the integration of services through mental health action plans and policy development” (p. 1125).
Mental health services in Saudi Arabia provide outpatient, inpatient, and emergency services within various hospital settings (Qureshi et al., 2013). Qureshi et al. (2013) further explains that “child and adolescent services are delivered through mental health facilities in children and maternity hospitals, academic universities, and specialized general hospitals” (p. 1125). Private mental health care services are also covered by insurance (Qureshi et al., 2013). Community mental health clinics and primary health care (PHC) centres provide additional outpatient services, all of which need further expansion and support by well-trained specialists and an allied workforce (Abdelgadir et al., 1999). Community mental health facilities include inpatient and outpatient services, residential units, and services in private healthcare clinics (Abdelgadir et al., 1999).