ABSTRACT
This prospective study was conducted at the Department of Psychiatry, Fatima Jinnah Medical College and Sir Ganga Ram Hospital, Lahore [Pakistan] for one year in 1995 to seek preliminary information regarding the socio-demographic profile of patients and various psychiatric disorders that lead to inpatient care. One hundred and seventy seven patients were admitted from January01, 1995 to December31, 1995. Information was obtained through semi structured interviews with patients and their families. Diagnosis recorded using the lCD-10 system of classification. Out of 177 patients, 52.5 percent were males and 47.5 percent females. Schizophrenia was the most frequent diagnosis [19.8 percent] followed by bipolar affective disorder [15.3 percent], depressive disorder [12.9 percent] and dissociative disorder [12.4 percent]. This information should help in planning and providing better psychiatric services to the community in future