When Wilson et al (1978) described ‘The new Aberdeen Medical Record,’ they stated: ‘The bulk and disarray of many hospital medical records make it impossible to review and retrieve information easily, hamper the proper care of patients and cause much time to be wasted … when papers accumulate chaotically in the folders much time is wasted in clumsy attempts to retrieve information; important facts about patients and their problems and drug treatment are obscured.’ The same problems apply to the records of psychiatric patients, and this paper describes the adaptation of the Aberdeen Medical Record for use in psychiatric units and hospitals.