Objective To measure the time lapse faced by psychiatric patients before they get referred to psychiatry. Styudy design: A cross-sectional study design. Place: Liaquat National Hospital and Medical College Karachi. Methodology: A total number of 88 patients who were either referred or seen by other specialist befor coming to Psychiatrist were enrolled in the study after they met the inclusion and exclusion criteria of the study. These patients were examined by trained doctors under the direct supervision of Consultant Psychiatrist to establish diagnosis. The data was then analyzed using SPSS version 15. Results: According to calculations, the mean time lapse faced by psychiatric patients before seeing a Psychiatrist was 422.7 (around 14 months). The most common presenting symptom in  the  psychiatric  OPD  Wasghabrahat  in  25.0%  followed  by  body  aches  in 17.0%. Conclusion This study shows that psychiatric patients face a significant delay before they see Psychiatrist which puts extra burden on economy of the nation.There are variety of reasons which could be contributing towards this delay. The main reasons include lack of awareness of health professionals about early recognition and intervention of symptoms which are psychiatric in origin, and stigma attached with referral to psychiatry. This system can be improved by increasing awareness of health professionals about early recognition of psychiatric symptoms to avoid further delay in referral to Psychiatrist. There is also need of similar studies be conducted in other areas to make sample more representative.