Background: The burden of mental disorders has been increasingly recognised. Successful screening increases possibility of identifying those in need & appropriately treating them. However, research is scarce with regard to mental health screening in the context of “preventive health care” in India. Thus, we studied the psychiatric morbidity and quality of life among subjects attending the Preventive health care unit (PHCU) of a tertiary hospital. Methods: Cross-sectional study conducted in PHCU, in a tertiary hospital in Puducherry. All consecutive subjects (>18 years) attending PHCU on a specified day of the week were included in the study. Standard for Clinicians' Interview in Psychiatry (SCIP) - Screening module, DSM-5 Level-1 Cross- Cutting Symptom Measure, Mini-Cog and Quality of Life Enjoyment and Satisfaction Questionnaire was administered. Relevant diagnostic modules of SCIP were applied to subjects who screened positive on SCIP. Results: Mean age of subjects was 43.38 ± 13.99 years. Of 203 subjects, 57 (28.1%) screened positive & 53 (26.1%) were confirmed to have psychiatric disorder. 4% screened positive for cognitive impairment. Most commonly diagnosed disorders were alcohol use disorder (9.9%) & major depressive disorder (6.4%). Prevalence of depressive disorder was higher in subjects with physical disorder. However did not reach statistical significance (x²=8.449; p=0.076). Subjects with psychiatric disorder alone or with both psychiatric & physical disorders had significantly poorer quality of life (F=27.132; p<0.001). Conclusion: One-fourth of the subjects attending PHCU were found to have psychiatric disorders. Presence of psychiatric disorder was associated with significantly poorer quality of life. This underscores the importance of routine mental health screening in PHCU.