Examined the role of unorthodox treatments for psychiatric illnesses among a sample of outpatients at the Riyadh Hospital for Mental Health in Saudi ArabiApproximately 79% of the patients had consulted a popular therapist before or after they came to the psychiatric clinic. The types of treatments given by those therapists and their diagnoses of the mental illnesses are discussed. It is concluded that the motivation of people seeking unorthodox treatments for mental illness is yet to be determined.