Step 1: The Mental Healthcare Act 2017 allows a person with mental illness to seek admission on their own request, called independent or voluntary admission.
Step 2: If admission needs to continue beyond 30 days, or if there is readmission within 7 days, the person must be examined by two psychiatrists. Under the relevant section, such admission can then be extended up to a maximum of 90 days, with review and reporting to the Mental Health Review Board.
Step 3: The shorter options (48 hours, 7 days, 30 days) are intermediate review or emergency timelines under the Act, not the maximum permitted duration of voluntary admission. The ceiling is 90 days.
Ref: Mental Healthcare Act 2017.