Photophilic and photophobic behaviour in patients with schizophrenia and depression

The authors interviewed 32 patients (25 with an RDC diagnosis of schizophrenia and seven with schizoaffective disorder) consecutively admitted to a psychiatric outpatient clinic. Ten patients had a history of photophilic behaviour with sun-gazing, while 20 patients showed no unusual behaviour related to light. Two patients who had depressive symptoms at the time of interview had a history of photophobic behaviour. Sixteen patients and 12 controls were tested for their threshold for discomfort of high intensity light; the thresholds were significantly higher in the patients with schizophrenia (especially in those with history of sun gazing). The implications of these findings for clinical practice and research are discussed.