Fifty-five patients with winter seasonal affective disorder (SAD) were treated with a light visor, a newly developed ,mabie light-delivery system, in a controlled parallel agn. A dim (400 lux) visor was compared with a Wight (6000 lux) visor for either 30 or 60 minutes in the .oming for 1 week. Response rates for these two IrtItments were 36% and 56%, respectively; the duration � treatment sessions did not affect outcome. There was lEY WORDS: Seasonal affective disorder; Phototherapy; light; Circadian rhythms; Seasons; DepressionThe efficacy of bright-light therapy in the treatment of winter seasonal affective disorder (SAD) (Rosenthal et t 1984) has been well established (for reviews see Rosen

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The authors report the frequency of side effects of light therapy in 105 patients with seasonal affective disorder treated with three intensities of light. Common symptoms to emerge during treatment were headache (19%), eyestrain (17%), and feeling "wired" (14%). There was no relationship between side effects and intensity of light used.

In a sample of 104 medically stable male veterans with alcohol dependence, rates of health service utilization were compared for 48 patients with a primary diagnosis of antisocial personality disorder and 56 patients without this diagnosis. Patients were diagnosed using DSM-IV lifetime criteria; previous utilization of health services was based on self-reports. Although a similar proportion of both groups reported previous service use, patients with antisocial personality disorder reported using more substance abuse treatment services than those with a primary diagnosis of alcohol dependence. Between-group multiple regression analysis showed that an earlier age at onset of alcoholism and a history of a comorbid substance-induced mental disorder best predicted higher rates of use of substance abuse treatment.