Exploring an alternative view of sadness and depression from the medical model, the author looks at how sadness is perceived by religious individuals

Revealing a tension between the medical model of depression and the very different language of theology, this book explores how religious people and communities understand severe sadness, their coping mechanisms and their help-seeking behaviours.

Drawing from her study of practicing Catholics, contemplative monks and nuns, priests and laypeople studying theology, the author describes how symptoms that might otherwise be described as pathological and meet diagnostic criteria for a depressive disorder are considered by some religious individuals to be normal and valued experiences. She explains how sadness fits into the 'Dark Night of the Soul' narrative - an active transformation of emotional distress into an essential ingredient for self-reflection and spiritual growth - and how sadness with a recognised cause is seen to 'make sense', whereas sadness without a cause may be seen to warrant psychiatric consultation. The author also discusses the role of the clergy in cases of sadness and depression and their collaboration with medical professionals.

This is an insightful read for anyone with an interest in theology or mental health, including clergy, psychiatrists and psychologists.

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In The Lost Art of Healing: Practicing Compassion in Medicine (1999), Dr. Bernard Lown, a Nobel laureate and physician, writes about the fundamental need for human relationships between doctor and patient, pointing out how true healers make use of sympathetic listening and a trusting relationship, which affects outcomes from cardiac illness to depression. If medical care values meaning and context, with a strong alliance between
provider and patient being crucial to outcome, they are even more critical in psychiatry, psychology, and religion, three fields in which emotion is at the forefront of care (Greenberg, 2016). Cure, in Latin, means to care! Durà-Vilà's work goes a long way toward this good end.

"In her preface, the author writes "I would like you to think of it [the book] as a sort of diary of my travels, a witness to my experiences and to the lessons I learned along the way." This is indeed how I experienced reading the book - I had a sense of journeying alongside the author in her study." - Royal College of Psychiatrists' Spirituality and Psychiatry Special Interest Group

"This scholarly presentation of a well-researched study deserves to be read widely. I hope that it will help to change attitudes in a wide range of contexts." - Church Times