The leisure activities of 110 depressed patients and of 98 non-psychiatric controls were studied. The following aspects of leisure behaviour were taken into account: quantity, type (active, passive), frequency, presence of other people, place and satisfaction. In addition, possible relationships between personality and leisure behaviour were explored. Depressives were found to engage in fewer activities and were involved with fewer people than controls. Numerous significant correlations between personality characteristics and leisure behaviour occurred in the patient sample.