Aimed to identify the pattern of referral to a psychiatric outpatient clinic and the characteristics of the referred patients. Over a 4-mo period, 176 outpatients (aged 8-70 yrs) attending the psychiatric clinic of the University Hospital of Saddam College of Medicine were interviewed. Psychiatric diagnosis was based on the ICD-10 criteriOut of the total new outpatients, there were 75 patients (42.6%) referred from the hospital doctors of different specialties and 42 persons (24%) referred by themselves or their relatives. While 28 (16.4%), 23 (13%) and 7 (4%) were referred by general practitioners, psychiatrists outside the hospital and non-medical agencies respectively. Reasons for referral of physicians were mainly for opinion and management (39.5%). Comparison of characteristics of patients and their psychiatric diagnosis shows interesting variations among the groups of patients of different referral sources. The findings suggest the need for coordination between hospital psychiatrist and other physicians, cooperation with the general practitioners and psychiatrists outside the hospital, and the need for proper recording and registration system. Finally, this study has emphasized the need to educate doctors from different specialties about psychological disorders.