"We dedicate this paper to the memory of Wayne E. Oates, our friend, pastor, mentor, and colleague. He taught us to give "bare attention" to the common events of life. He believed in the sacredness of the simple everyday acts of humankind. He saw the connectedness of reality and made a place for students of our disciplines. We have addressed sadness as if we might have been discussing it with Wayne.”

-- ABSTRACT OF ARTICLE -- The Casualties of Sadness by James A. Hyde, Ph.D. and John J. Schwab, M.D. At the core of our being, we are not alone when we invest our faith in the One who stands by us and gives us courage and comradeship through adversity. Convictions That Give You Confidence by Wayne E. Oates   Introduction Sadness is a dynamic we encounter on the spiritual journey of life described by Lewis Sherill (1959) as the "struggle of the soul." For Sherrill, the religious and spiritual development of the individual takes place as we go through the crises of life from infancy to death. The struggle of the soul leads to integration of one's understanding of God into daily life. How we accept and deal with sadness is essential to our psychological, physical and spiritual development and wellbeing. In this paper we address sadness as one of the negative aspects of the struggle of the soul. Sadness is a common, troublesome feeling; a negative affect that is felt as unpleasant and observed by others as a sign of distress. Its range of intensity is from slight to deep and its severity from mild to extreme. In this article, our purposes are to: (1) mention briefly the origin and changing use of the word, sadness, (2) describe its development during childhood and look at its neurobiological basis, (3) present the clinical significance of sadness in grief, depression and especially dysthymia; and (4) discuss some treatment considerations.   Dr. James Hyde is Associate Professor and Dr. John Schwab is Professor Emeritus in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at the University of Louisville in Louisville, KY.

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