To gain an understanding of the challenges and opportunities confronting mental health professionals throughout the world, a brief questionnaire was sent to psychiatric leaders in Australia, Egypt, West Germany, Hong Kong, Hungary, Israel, New Zealand, Nigeria, Poland, South Africa, Spain, Venezuela, and KoreQuestions focused on patient care issues, education, and delivery systems. Results indicate universal concern about the cost of psychiatric care and how it is delivered. Most countries considered health care a national responsibility and provided some form of universal insurance coverage. There was a lack of uniformity in resource distribution and use as well as in standards of care for acute and chronic patients. International Classification of Diseases--9th Edition (ICD-9) was the diagnostic classification system used in almost all responding countries, but use of Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-III) was increasing. The importance of considering national differences and similarities in the delivery of psychiatric services so that professionals around the world can learn from each other's experiences is emphasized.