The aim of this study was to compare the level of anxiety and depression in patients admitted to surgery or internal departments. The study was carried out on 359 hospitalized patients over the age of 18 years and designed as a cross sectional survey. Participants were recruited from internal medicine and surgery departments of Khatam Al Anbia Hospital, Tehran, Iran. Information was collected using the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale. Ninety-four (26.18%) patients had no anxiety and depression, 96 (26.7%) were borderline cases of anxiety, 140 (39%) were very anxious, 89 (24.8%) were borderline cases of depression, and 106 (29.5%) had depressed mood. There was a significant correlation between anxious mood and sex and duration of background disease as well as between the level of depressive mood and age. Patients with anxiety are significantly more prone to depression. However there were no significant differences between the level of anxiety or depression between surgical or non-surgical patients. The prevalence of anxious and depressive moods was high in both surgical and non-surgical patients. However, non-surgical treatments were as stressful as surgical procedures for patients admitted to hospital in the first 24 h.