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Why legislate for mental health? Mental health legislation provides a framework and standards for the protection/promotion of the rights of people with mental health conditions and to codify the principles, values, aims and objectives of mental health policies and plans. It is crucial that mental health legislation promotes integrated, community-based care and support and acts to improve the quality of services and promote the rights of people with mental health conditions. It is also essential that it ensures informed consent, confidentiality and the involvement of users and their families in decision-making. National mental health legislation should be developed/updated in line with international human rights covenants and instruments. Governments and legislating bodies need to adopt rules, regulations and codes of practice for implementing the legislation [see WHO checklist on mental health legislation (1) (Annex 1)]. It is also imperative to establish operational structures and mechanisms to support the implementation of such legislation.