Surveys indicate that between thirty and forty million Indians suffer psychiatric problems serious enough to require urgent attention. However, there are only 500 psychiatrists, 400 clinical psychologists, and 100 psychiatric social workers to provide them cosmopolitan health care. Most of the mentally ill are cared for by indigenous healers. A one-year study of the concepts and practices of indigenous healers was carried out in a town of western India. With a population of 10,000, the town boasts 26 healers of which 3 are MDs. 2 Vaids, 3 Mantarwadis. 4 Patris, and 14 of mixed tradition called Patrimantrik. Results show that healers and patients are in agreement with psychiatrists in the diagnosis and identification of “serious” symptoms of mental illness. With the exception of one condition, “possession”, the MDs were the healers initially preferred by patients, in spite of the former's poor psychiatric training. However, the majority of the patients had consulted more than one kind of healer for their problem. There was no association between a patient's choice of healer and his age, wealth, or formal level of education.