Context: The objectives of this study were to assess the prevalence of psychiatric morbidity and attitudes towards mental illness in relation to socio-demographic factors among hospital out patients as well as the role of various precipitating factors behind psychiatry illness. Aims: To find out the common psychiatric disorders among patients attending psychiatry OPD and also to study the role of various precipitating factors on mental health status of the patients. Settings and Design: A cross sectional hospital based study was conducted from April 2008 to July 2008 in patients attending Psychiatry Out patient department (OPD) of Sir sayajirao general hospital (SSGH), Baroda, Gujarat, India Methods and Material: A total of 200 patients were studied in a period of four months (April-July ‘08). Patients attending psychiatry OPD were examined with the help of a trained psychiatrist. Information regarding the patients was taken using pre-designed structured proforma and diagnosis was made by trained psychiatrist based on DSM-4 criteria (Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders). The collected information was analyzed using Epi info 6.04 d statistical software package. Results: Majority of psychiatric patients (28 %) belonged to age group 20-29 years and above 49 years in 26 % cases, most of them were males (59 %). Occupational analysis showed that the number of employed psychiatric patients (32%) was greater than unemployed patients(26%). Psychiatric problems were more in illiterates (28%) and majority of the patients attending psychiatric clinic (66 %) were married. In 46% cases patients were suffering from one or the other medical illness and 12 % of patients regularly consume alcohol. The morbidity pattern showed that majority were affected by depression (29%), schizophrenia (18%) and substance abuse psychiatric disorder (11%). Conclusions: The common psychiatric illnesses are mainly precipitated by underlying socio-epidemic factors which needs to address.