Dr Baab, a Presbyterian minister and University of Otago lecturer in pastoral studies, spoke out strongly this week against what she termed a trend to "medicalise" sadness, including grief at the loss of loved ones.
Such grief was "part of being human", she told about 40 people in a talk focusing on "a pastoral response to 'medicalising' sadness".
Speaking during a conference on theology and mental health at the university, Dr Baab fully accepted the use of antidepressants to counter depression, but said classifying "any kind of sadness, any kind of sorrow" as a psychiatric disorder was "just wrong".
"Christian history shows us the Church should offer lament, a listening ear and other forms of support in the presence of sadness and grief."
Dr Baab, of the Otago University department of theology and religion, warned about a "triumphalist" view of faith and said an element of suffering was part of the Christian spiritual journey.
Concern has been widely voiced in health circles about a new draft version of the planned fifth edition of a key psychiatrists' diagnostic guide book, known as DSM-5.
The guide's current edition contains an "exclusion for bereavement" but this has been removed in the new draft guide, clearing the way for grief-like symptoms, if they continue longer than two weeks after a loved one's death, to be diagnosed as depression.
Dr Baab said this raised concerns about "medicalising" sorrows.
Some people who were overworking and also experiencing grief, could well find "some pretty wonderful" and beautiful things close at hand, if they took the time to notice them, she said.
In another talk, Otago pharmacy student Michelle Hsieh considered the topic "Spirituality; a long-term cure for depression?", and focused on intervention treatments for depression, such as "mindfulness-based" cognitive therapy.
Miss Hsieh said this therapeutic approach could be further enhanced with spirituality, to provide "more comprehensive therapies".
