Depression tattoos are becoming more and more popular. People are getting depression tattoos for various reasons – to help with their mental health or to commemorate a loved one who has died from suicide. Still, most people agree that they offer some benefits regarding mental health.
Getting a tattoo is a way for some people to express their emotions and thoughts. Tattoos also make a great way to memorialize something or someone special in our lives. Tattoo lovers often choose designs that remind them of the past.
Getting a tattoo having to do with your depression can serve as a public declaration, or personal reminder, of what you've overcome. When you've met a challenge head-on, there's often an immense sense of accomplishment when you see a positive outcome. It can be natural to want a tattoo to commemorate the event.
A study of a community sample of women (Reference Romans, Martin and MorrisRomans 1998) found that being tattooed was associated with more psychiatric symptoms, borderline personality characteristics as well as increased alcohol use.
Studies about the Healing Power of Tattoos
A new Texas Tech University study suggests that women with multiple tattoos have higher self-esteem, but also more troubled pasts. The study tentatively concludes that tattoos basically serve as a coping mechanism that can successfully raise levels of self-esteem.
“Tattooing starts at the body's first line of defense, the skin, and uses it as a canvas to physically bear witness to the assault experienced on body, mind, and sense of self. As such, it often visually and viscerally becomes a source of healing,” Suzanne Phillips, a psychologist, had explained.
For anxiety, someone may get a tattoo to remind them to stay grounded or to stay focused. This could be because it's common for those with anxiety to face challenges related to concentration, focus, or feeling grounded. Someone may also get a tattoo to remind themselves to use self care or to symbolize self care.
According to a study 22% (of 540 individuals) possessed at least one tattoo. Further analyses showed that, compared with non-tattooed individuals, tattooed participants had significantly higher scores on extraversion, experience seeking, need for uniqueness, and held more positive attitudes toward tattoos.
One of the most well-known symbols for mental health awareness and suicide prevention is the semicolon tattoo. This small punctuation mark holds a powerful message for those struggling with mental health. The semicolon represents a pause in a sentence, rather than an ending.
An Act of Self-Care
These acts of self-care may be foreign to people battling depression and anxiety, but because they're mandatory, your tattoo may help encourage positive behaviors for the future. It's easy to slip into apathy when you're depressed, but a tattoo can remind you that you need to look after yourself.
The most widespread depression tattoo designs are noise in the head, with clouds, the theme of fatigue and workload, skeletons, tattoos with text, masks, minimalistic, and brain images.
The power of healing through tattoo
While mental health professionals don't recommend using tattoos as one's only form of therapy, they do acknowledge the power a tattoo holds to give meaning or closure to an experience, or to begin a new one.
Getting a tattoo, especially the first one, is a new experience. So it is not surprising that these psychologists discovered that tattooed people tend to be more open to experiences and actively seek them. They are more adventurous and uninhibited people who seek adventure and excitement.
Keep in mind: Of the people we talked to (the majority being teenagers to twentysomethings), a whopping 78 percent regret at least one of their tattoos. And 19 percent of participants with two tattoos regret both. Planning ahead is the best way you can make sure you don't suffer from tattoo regret.
Peer pressure, media influence, and personal expression are some of the common reasons for wearing tattoos today. The desire to be part of a group, to be accepted by one's friends or peers, can have a great influence on what a person does. Sometimes, wearing a tattoo can be a sign that you belong to a certain group.
"Spiritual tattoos — mandala, hamsa, chakra, tree of life, Budha, lotus, etc. — are common for battling anxiety. They symbolize the overcoming of struggle, protection, self care, rebirth, the circle of life, kindness, strength, new challenges, and new beginnings."
What Is The Tattoo Symbol For PTSD? July 9, 2022. IGY6 stands for I Got Your Six Teal is PTSD awareness, black is for the heavy hearts that many of us carry, those who suffer from PTSD and those who have lost loved ones to suicide because of PTSD. The red is a symbol of the blood that has been shed.
Specifically, he said that people who get tattoos are looking for attention that they feel they are not currently receiving, further noting that you do not get a tattoo for people to not look.
Respondents with four or more tattoos had significantly higher self-esteem than those with less. This was especially among those who reported a history of depression. The cause for this may be that a tattoo gives you a sense of control over the self. And allows you to reclaim something that has been lost or taken.
The semicolon tattoo was popularized by Amy Bleuel. Having struggled with depression, addiction, and difficult personal circumstances, particularly after being raped and her father died by suicide, she wanted something to commemorate her survival.
Taking anti-anxiety medication before tattoo appointments can definitely help if you're really truly sure you want this brand new first tattoo but are really struggling with serious stress. Our advice is just to be very careful and, again, find a tattooist who you love. You'll be in good hands floating on Cloud 9.
But for some anxiety sufferers, tattoos have a place in their healing journey. If they can mark their bodies with reminders, and turn to those reminders in their darkest times, maybe they can loosen anxiety's grip or at least breathe through the grasp.