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CORRESPONDENCE comparison of the timing of melatonin secretion. Finally, the depressed patients, but presumably not the control subjects, were given benzodiazepines. Kabuto et al(l986) recently reported suppression of the nocturnal melatonin surge by benzodiazepines in normal subjects. Although this observation must be taken cautiously, because the reported plasma mela tonin concentrations are much higher than in most laboratories (Arendt, 1985), the potential effect of benzodiazepines on melatonin secretion should not be ignored. One might even speculate that these drugs could have a paradoxical effect, increasing melatonin concentrations in depression and thus explaining Thompson's results. In conclusion, the relationship between melatonin secretion and depression remains undetermined.