Mental health services in Iraq have been ravaged by chronic neglect, sanctions and war. Mental health professionals in Iraq have suffered from 20 years of isolation imposed by the previous regime. There is now the opportunity to re-open communication channels with Iraqi psychiatrists and mental health professionals generally. As a group of Iraqi psychiatrists working in the UK, we are proposing the formation of an ‘Iraqi Psychiatric Association (UK)’ which has as its sole aim the support of mental health services in Iraq through the support of undergraduate and postgraduate teaching and training, external examining, planning of services, as well as voluntary clinical work in Iraq. It also aims at promoting formal links between British and Iraqi academic departments of psychiatry and teaching centres. Any Iraqi psychiatrist who is interested please contact: Dr Riadh Abed, Rotherham District General Hospital, Moorgate Road, Rotherham District General Hospital, Moorgate Road, Rotherham S60 2UD (tel: 01709 304331); e-mail: abedrt@btinternet.com. We also welcome offers of help from non-Iraqi psychiatrists in the UK.