People who suffer various mental illnesses will act differently. They will talk about their affliction because its such a huge burden. Please just try to be understanding and dont judge them. Love them instead. Thank you.
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I was friends with a homeless man who had schizophrenia. I knew him through an outreach program that I volunteered at and he visited. He was gentle, and kind man. Very much unlike some of the other homeless people who went there.
The manager of the outreach tried to shy me away from him. She told the story of how is family were scared of him and had to throw him out of the house. My answer was, ‘Farad is not his illness.’
Farad would sit in the park and talk to the air, but when he saw me coming, he stopped doing it. I always made sure he saw me coming. If I gave him something…no a loan, but a gift, he always paid me back even though I didn’t require it. He had some crazy thoughts, for sure and sometimes acted off, but underneath he is a kind, generous and thoughtful man.
It sounds like he needs medication
Mental illness is common, many women suffer post natal depress, up to 20% of new mothers are affected, so if you have 10 mothers in your church, two of them could have or be suffering from this!
symptons:- Feeling down, anxious or irritable for a few days after your baby is born is very common. This is sometimes called the baby blues, and it usually goes away within 2 weeks of the birth. But if it continues, gets worse or you’re struggling to cope, it’s important to get help.
from Postnatal depression - NHS
or Depression is more than simply feeling unhappy or fed up for a few days,
Some people think depression is trivial and not a genuine health condition. They’re wrong – it is a real illness with real symptoms. Depression is not a sign of weakness or something you can “snap out of” by “pulling yourself together”
again from the above link.
I agree that depression is a serious illness. It can lead to an anxiety disorder and psychosis. According to my nurse practitioner thats what happened to me. Im on medication and it helps a great deal. These mental illnesses can have both mental and physical symptoms according to my research. Ive experienced both. The sad part is a Christian forum kicked me out instead of loving me which only added to my burdens. Im reminded of Ezekiel 34. God judged between the sheep and judges the shepherds.
Ezekiel 34:1 And the word of the Lord came to me, saying, 2 "Son of man, prophesy against the shepherds of Israel, prophesy and say to them, 'Thus says the Lord God to the shepherds: “Woe to the shepherds of Israel who feed themselves! Should not the shepherds feed the flocks? **3 **You eat the fat and clothe yourselves with the wool; you slaughter the fatlings, but you do not feed the flock. **4 **The weak you have not strengthened, nor have you healed those who were sick, nor bound up the broken, nor brought back what was driven away, nor sought what was lost; but with force and [a]cruelty you have ruled them. **5 **So they were scattered because there was no shepherd; and they became food for all the beasts of the field when they were scattered. **6 **My sheep wandered through all the mountains, and on every high hill; yes, My flock was scattered over the whole face of the earth, and no one was seeking or searching for them.”
7 'Therefore, you shepherds, hear the word of the Lord: 8 “As I live,” says the Lord God, “surely because My flock became a prey, and My flock became food for every beast of the field, because there was no shepherd, nor did My shepherds search for My flock, but the shepherds fed themselves and did not feed My flock”— **9 **therefore, O shepherds, hear the word of the Lord! **10 **Thus says the Lord God: “Behold, I am against the shepherds, and I will require My flock at their hand; I will cause them to cease feeding the sheep, and the shepherds shall feed themselves no more; for I will deliver My flock from their mouths, that they may no longer be food for them.”
God, the True Shepherd
11 'For thus says the Lord God: “Indeed I Myself will search for My sheep and seek them out. **12 **As a shepherd seeks out his flock on the day he is among his scattered sheep, so will I seek out My sheep and deliver them from all the places where they were scattered on a cloudy and dark day. **13 **And I will bring them out from the peoples and gather them from the countries, and will bring them to their own land; I will feed them on the mountains of Israel, [b]in the valleys and in all the inhabited places of the country. **14 **I will feed them in good pasture, and their fold shall be on the high mountains of Israel. There they shall lie down in a good fold and feed in rich pasture on the mountains of Israel. **15 **I will feed My flock, and I will make them lie down,” says the Lord God. 16 “I will seek what was lost and bring back what was driven away, bind up the broken and strengthen what was sick; but I will destroy the fat and the strong, and feed them in judgment.”
17 'And as for you, O My flock, thus says the Lord God: “Behold, I shall judge between sheep and sheep, between rams and goats. **18 **Is it too little for you to have eaten up the good pasture, that you must tread down with your feet the [c]residue of your pasture—and to have drunk of the clear waters, that you must foul the residue with your feet? **19 **And as for My flock, they eat what you have trampled with your feet, and they drink what you have fouled with your feet.”
20 'Therefore thus says the Lord God to them: "Behold, I Myself will judge between the fat and the lean sheep. **21 **Because you have pushed with side and shoulder, butted all the weak ones with your horns, and scattered them abroad, **22 **therefore I will save My flock, and they shall no longer be a prey; and I will judge between sheep and sheep. **23 **I will establish one shepherd over them, and he shall feed them—My servant David. He shall feed them and be their shepherd. **24 **And I, the Lord, will be their God, and My servant David a prince among them; I, the Lord, have spoken. (NKJV)