In a replication of a study conducted in Saudi Arabia (O. E. El-Rufaie, 1988), the author investigated the diagnostic status and sociodemographic characteristics of 96 new patients (aged 4-65 yrs) referred by general practitioners to a psychiatry clinic conducted within primary health care setting. The 9th version of the International Classification of Diseases was used for psychiatric diagnosis in this prospective study. There were slightly more females than males among the identified cases. The maximum psychiatric morbidity occurred at the age group 5-44 years and dropped sharply after the age of 45. Neurotic depression, anxiety state and anxiety-depressive state were the commonest identified psychiatric disorders (69%). Neurotic depression occurred more among females; otherwise there were no notable diagnostic differences between the two sexes