Depression and mental illness are not new concepts. There are several examples of people in the bible who dealt with these issues. David gives us an example:
David's life was one filled with great joy and deep sorrows. The boy who killed Golalith was the same man who had had an affair with Bathsheba, impregnated her, and then had her husband killed so no one would know that he wasn't the child's father.
They married and the baby was born sick because of their sin. When he was told that his son was sick, David prayed for the baby, fasted, and lay face down on his bedroom floor. He lay there for 7 days.
When the baby died, the servants were afraid to tell the king because they didn't know how he would react.
But surprisingly, he got up and showered, worshiped God, and then ate. I find it interesting that after the baby died, David stopped grieving. Most people grieve when someone dies but rejoices when a baby is born.
However, Ecclesiastes 7 says:
"...The day someone dies is better than the day they were born."
It wasn't that David was happy that the baby died - I don't think he was. I think he knew there was nothing else he could do. His next mission was to comfort Bathsheba.
One of the things about mental illness - mine at least - is no one can understand it. You can't explain it. It can cause people to act in a way that is totally opposite to how society expects them to act.
There is a condition called the Pseudobulbar affect (PBA). "It is a condition that's characterized by episodes of uncontrollable or inappropriate laughing or crying." Mayo Clinic
I got in trouble more than once for laughing in church. Someone would say something funny, and the congregation would laugh and then settle down. Well, every time I would think of what was said and start bellowing again.
Now, when I laugh, I can laugh until I cry. Now, I'm not talking about a normal till tears stream down your face pretty cry. This is that ugly laugh that you laugh until you cry; where you go from being happy to truly upset in a matter of minutes and you have no idea why. This leaves whoever you're talking with stunned and unsure of what happened.
I think that was kind of what David was going through. Maybe he couldn't explain how he was acting; except that at the moment; it just made sense to him.
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