The reported prevalence of psychiatric morbidity in an Intensive Care Unit (ICU) in Saudi Arabia was found to be 18% in a sample of 205 patients (mean age 48.7 yrs). The most common reactions were anxiety, somatoform, and depressive disorders. Demographic characteristics, medical history, and psychiatric disorders were evaluated as predictors of psychological hazards. Data revealed that patients with psychiatric symptoms stayed for a significantly longer time in the ICU. They were exposed to more frequent procedures, they obtained higher scores in neuroticism and depressive traits, and they expressed higher intensities of manifest anxiety and depression than did the controls. It is concluded that the patient's vulnerability, personality traits, and psychological makeup are more important as determinants of psychiatric morbidity than the ICU environment per se.