Depression tattoo meanings
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SAMHSA’s National Helpline is a free, confidential, 24/7, 365-day-a-year treatment referral and information service (in English and Spanish) for individuals and families facing mental and/or substance use disorders.
Also visit the online treatment locator.
SAMHSA’s National Helpline, 1-800-662-HELP (4357) (also known as the Treatment Referral Routing Service), or TTY: 1-800-487-4889 is a confidential, free, 24-hour-a-day, 365-day-a-year, information service, in English and Spanish, for individuals and family members facing mental and/or substance use disorders.
This service provides referrals to local treatment facilities, support groups, and community-based organizations.
Also visit the online treatment locator, or send your zip code via text message: 435748 (HELP4U) to find help near you. Read more about the HELP4U text messaging service.
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No, we do not provide counseling. Trained information specialists answer calls, transfer callers to state services or other appropriate intake centers in their states, and connect them with local assistance and support.
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Suggested Resources
What Is Substance Abuse Treatment? A Booklet for Families
Created for family members of people with alcohol abuse or drug abuse problems. Answers questions about substance abuse, its symptoms, different types of treatment, and recovery.
Addresses concerns of children of parents with substance use/abuse problems.It's Not Your Fault (NACoA) (PDF | 12 KB)
Assures teens with parents who abuse alcohol or drugs that, "It's not your fault!" and that they are not alone. Encourages teens to seek emotional support from other adults, school counselors, and youth support groups such as Alateen, and provides a resource list.After an Attempt: A Guide for Taking Care of Your Family Member After Treatment in the Emergency Department
Aids family members in coping with the aftermath of a relative's suicide attempt. Describes the emergency department treatment process, lists questions to ask about follow-up treatment, and describes how to reduce risk and ensure safety at home.Family Therapy Can Help: For People in Recovery From Mental Illness or Addiction
Explores the role of family therapy in recovery from mental illness or substance abuse. Explains how family therapy sessions are run and who conducts them, describes a typical session, and provides information on its effectiveness in recovery.
For additional resources, please visit the SAMHSA Store.
Last Updated: 08/30/2022
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Tattoo diagnosis. What will the drawings on your body tell the doctor about?
Psychologists and psychiatrists have learned to read information about a person from his tattoos, even the most bizarre ones. Wearable "painting" will tell the specialist about the fears of a person, his character traits, state of mind, diseases and addiction to alcohol and drugs.
Fears
“A tattoo is a classic substitute for something that a person lacks,” says family psychologist Natalya Panfilova. - Very often, men are too soft and insecure to make aggressive tattoos: a knife, a warrior, a tiger.
Girls who think that they lack attractiveness for the opposite sex decorate themselves with flowers, cats, petals.
In this case, the effect is often the opposite.
- I had a client - pretty, but not self-confident. She made herself a tattoo of a bouquet on her arm, a lot of roses, - said Natalia Panfilova. But the tattoo didn't suit her at all. She and her husband began scandals, because in his picture of the world it was something incredible.
The fears of the mentally ill are also expressed in their tattoos.
Scientists from the Jerusalem Center for Evidence-Based Medicine in their scientific work (Journal "Bulletin of Psychiatry and Psychology of Chuvashia", 2010) studied 1576 tattoos, which 412 patients with mental disorders inked themselves.
According to the study, some patients asked tattoo artists to inject them with mystical tattoos - they acted as a talisman-amulet from the "evil eye".
"So, the image of the "Joker's mask" on the outer surface of the elbow bend was interpreted by the patients as the application of a protective sign," the scientists write.
The desire to hurt oneself
“Sometimes I notice that clients get a tattoo on a part of the body where it is very painful,” says Natalya Panfilova. - For example, on the foot. Most likely, they want to hurt themselves on purpose. That is, the tattoo itself does not make any sense, the action makes sense - its application.
Scientists from the Novosibirsk State Medical University came to a similar conclusion (they published their study in the journal "Medicine and Education in Siberia" in 2013). Among the 60 tattooed people who took part in the study, 78% were diagnosed with borderline personality disorder.
According to the paper, 2-3% of people have this disorder. They are characterized by impulsivity, low self-control, emotional instability, unstable connections with reality, high anxiety and a strong level of desocialization.
"It is interesting that people with borderline personality disorder in 90% of cases are not satisfied with the final result - the applied drawing," the study says.
"They are attracted by the process itself, associated with the need to endure pain in the process of drawing (" Will I be able to handle it?").
Having to endure pain is a socially acceptable way of "self-injurious behavior" (other ways that are unacceptable are causing an accident or committing suicide).
At the same time, "of all the options of tattoos offered by the master of the tattoo parlor, people with borderline personality disorder prefer inscriptions or drawings related to the theme of death (skulls, dead people, grave crosses, etc.)".
Of the 13 people who did not have borderline personality disorder, the tattoos were much more optimistic - they were mostly images of animals or ornaments.
Researchers name different reasons for self-destructive behavior. For example, in psychoanalysis, the founder of which is Sigmund Freud, it is believed that initially aggression was directed at another person, for example, at a parent in childhood. But the well-being of the child depended on the parent, and he "decided" to redirect the aggression on himself.
Thirst for attention
“Bright, catchy, large tattoos can be in hysteroid-type individuals,” says psychiatrist, head of the intensive psychiatric care department Artem Gilyov.
The main feature of this type is egocentrism, a thirst for constant attention to one's own person.
“For example, a person has a bright flower on his entire back or a tiger on his face,” says Artem Gilyov. - Also, such a tattoo can indicate that a person has bipolar disorder. He did it during a period of exacerbation, and then came out of this state and was shocked by himself.
As Life reported, 2-4% of the world's population suffers from bipolar disorder. In the life of the patient, periods of mania (feeling of one's own grandeur, a flow of ideas, rapid speech, reduced need for sleep) are followed by periods of depression.
Psychopathic desire for order
As Artyom Gilev said, psychopaths of the epileptoid type (one of the main features is a painful love for order in everything) tend to make tattoos, where you can see the smallest details.
“For example, one patient stabbed himself with a picture from the window,” said the psychiatrist. - I dug out all the trees, on each - leaves. A window in the house opposite, in the window a man, a cat.
Schizophrenics also have very elaborate tattoos.
"Thus, one of the patients we observed, before getting a tattoo in the form of a dragon, reviewed several tens of thousands (!) Images of this fairy-tale character on the Internet and in the literature, until he found a drawing as close as possible to his idea", - says a study by scientists from the Jerusalem Center for Evidence-Based Medicine.
Plots suggested by voices
According to Artyom Gilev, people with mental illness often make tattoos that are incomprehensible to others. Sometimes their meaning cannot be explained by the owner himself.
It happens that the patient asks the tattoo artist to ink a plot that "voices" tell him.
- I had a patient, his voices ordered him to prick: "I'm afraid of the letter A.
"
Sometimes the images on tattoos are quite adequate, and only when the patient explains what they mean, it becomes clear that he is sick.
One of the patients, scientists from the Jerusalem Center for Evidence-Based Medicine write, had "a giant Egyptian sign - ankh (a T-shaped cross connected to an oval on the top bar)" on his lower leg. The patient explained that his tattoo means: "I will never let myself be operated on again."
He was given painful intravenous injections, and then they put on a transparent bandage that fixed the needle and resembled the sign of the ankh.
"Having gone on a short vacation, the patient immediately went to a tattoo parlor and made himself the specified tattoo, arguing that, having seen it, "doctors will understand and will not torment him any more," the study says. - When asked why he got a tattoo on his leg, the patient said that "all the same, the doctors undress him."0003
"Another patient, diagnosed as a paranoid schizophrenic, adorned his body with a randomly tattooed alphabet to show that he "did well in school," the scientists continue.
It happens that there is no logic at all in patients' tattoos. a patient with schizotypal personality disorder inflicted on his buttock (intimate zone) for the purpose of decoration a primitive symbolic tattoo depicting a graphic silhouette of a lawn mower," the study says.
Scientists believe that "voluntarily inflicted tattoos, among other non-verbal signs, can play a significant role in the diagnosis of mental and behavioral disorders, especially in cases where the subject deliberately seeks to mislead the doctor."
Tattoos of drug addicts and alcoholics
The same scientists studied 609 tattoos that patients with addiction to drugs and alcohol inflicted on themselves (the study was published in the journal Narcology in 2010).
These tattoos have many typical themes. They "are a kind of identifying mark for the initiates, allowing you to enter into contacts for the purchase of drugs."
"The category of common symbols of drug use can include images of a skull pierced by a dagger or syringe, as well as any medical attributes (pills, capsules, ampoules, syringes and needles)", the scientists write.
Opiate users often prick pictures of a poppy flower or pod.
"Among them, the following plots are not uncommon: a poppy flower entwined with a snake, a poppy whose stem is represented by an injection needle, a poppy flower entwined with barbed wire, a poppy head with a leaking drop of juice ("tear")," the study says. include images of a gnome or an old woman holding flowers or poppy heads in their hands. The image of an elderly person can be interpreted as an image of a person who grows opium poppies for sale. "
People who use hashish often wear tattoos with a crescent moon in combination with three asterisks ("brand name" of industrial Pakistani hashish). There can also be multi-figure compositions on oriental themes (a man who smokes a hookah, surrounded by dancers, a gin flying out of a jug).
The image of spiders and cobwebs on the fingers means dexterity and resourcefulness, the ability to get out of difficult situations.
Sometimes numbers are pricked.
For example, 5 is ecstasy, 8 is heroin, 12 is marijuana (the first letter in the name of the drug is taken and its serial number in the English alphabet is put).
"Reflection of the desired state in drug intoxication are plots associated with images of a syringe with butterfly wings (lightness, euphoria), a genie leaving a jug ("a soul breaking free"), a skull pierced by a syringe or dagger testifies to the sharpness and totality of experiences that arose while taking drugs," the study says.
Often, tattoos are made on the elbows: this way you can hide the injection marks.
Alcoholics have their own typical stories. Often they prick an image of three constituent elements. The central one is one of the typical alcoholic attributes (a bottle, a glass, a glass), two edge ones are cards, female figures and faces. Under the picture, as a rule, there is an inscription: "This is what is ruining us!"
As a reflection of a kind of alcoholic humor, there are inscriptions: "Why is there no vodka on the Moon?", "To the health of the blind man!", "For the ladies!", "For you!"
"Knowledge about the deep psychosocial meaning of tattoos can help doctors in clinical practice," the scientists conclude.
Previously, Life told what tattoos Olympic athletes adorn themselves with. They often cover their bodies with symbols that signify the will to win.
Top 25 Best Depression and Anxiety Tattoo Ideas
PRO0138 I refuse to drown in a depression tattoo
Sometimes depression can become real. Many men and young women experience some form of depression during their lives. However, how you get out of it will define you as a person. In life, you will experience different feelings, but it is very important to know how to approach them correctly. Here are some ways to inspire you and help you get through tough times!
What do depression tattoos symbolize?
Depression tattoos can tell a lot about a person.
With them, you will be able to show your vulnerable side and you will let others know that you had a hard time. Depression is quite common. In fact, over 10% of Americans are struggling with depression as you read this article. You can handle your struggles with an appropriate tattoo design, which we will discuss below.
Depression tattoo ideas for women
Minimalist Depression Tattoo Design
Depression tattoos will look cute on your forearm. This design is perfect for women who have struggled with depression for a while and it will suit you if you want something cute on the body.
No Rain No Flowers is very accurate and will look great on anyone trying to get stronger. This tattoo means that you can only experience the good after you have experienced the bad.
Tattoo Depression with a comma and a woman
The imprint of a woman who is important or quite big in your life can look great as your tattoo design. This print will suit you if you are struggling with depression and want to dedicate your tattoo to someone you love.
This design symbolizes your love and emotions for another person. If you are someone who wants to dedicate your feelings to another person, get this tattoo.
Small Flower Depression Tattoo Design
You always have to keep fighting! It is important in life not to give up. Women will love this feminine design as well as the flower symbol on the arm or forearm.
This tattoo will help you cope with depression. It will also be said that you are strong and constantly fighting, which is great if you are a real warrior who has been through everything.
Black Woman Ink Depression and Anxiety Tattoo
Be careful when it comes to this tattoo design as it will hurt. Belly tattoos usually look great, but they are quite painful to apply. This one is detailed and perfect for those who are into dark and mysterious tattoos.
This female symbol will say that you are a fan of strong personalities who have achieved their goal in life. Nothing bad can bring you down.
Suffocation Depression Tattoo
This tattoo design is quite simple and would suit women who want to show off and get their message out loud and clear. You will need 3-4 hours to apply this tattoo on your arm.
This word and symbol for choke is quite unique and represents you as someone who has been through a lot. We all can choke from time to time, especially our own tears, but it is important how you get out of it in the end.
Depression Tattoo Ideas for Guys
Black Skull Depression Inspired Tattoo
Are you afraid of death? Death symbols and skeletons are pretty popular with guys who want scary tattoos as well as something masculine, but there's a lot to be said for. This design will look amazing on your ankle.
Death tattoos like this one will show that you are not afraid of death. You may have already been through this in your life, so why not embrace your forte and show everyone that you are no longer afraid of death?
Depression tattoo meaning with red symbols
Fan of some colored ink? Thinking about putting something scary and noticeable on your skin? This bright red tattoo will suit anyone who loves horror stories.
It will take you 3-4 hours to put this masterpiece on your leg or ankle.
Red usually symbolizes love and passion. How connected and passionate were you when it came to depression? If this has had a significant impact on you, get this tattoo in the style of a little kid who struggled but made it through it all!
Small depression tattoo over forearm
This skeleton tattoo has the word "depression" written loud and clear! Do you like scary tattoos? This one will look amazing on your forearm. It's simple and small, which means it won't hurt as much to place it.
This tattoo with the word "depression" is crying out for help, but in a comical way! Are you a fan of funny tattoos and you need something unique and easy to personalize? Take this skeleton!
Overcoming depression with a red symbol
Fancy tattoos can also look unique and symbolize depression in their own way, as well as your hidden dreams and passions. This depression tattoo will look great on your arm or forearm.
It is suitable for men who train best of all, as well as anyone who wants to stand out with something dramatic.
This piece of art symbolizes your paths. If you've had a difficult journey and are still struggling to adjust to the day, get this depression tattoo! You can easily keep adding many different elements to it. You can even hug the sleeve which is so great with this tattoo and you will enjoy it more and more as you age and as you add to it.
Scary Devil Inspired by Symbol of Depression
Want a scary horn tattoo? This piece of art is so unusual and beautiful, it will look amazing on your shoulder or hips. The bright color will suit anyone who prefers a bit of symmetry and difference in their tattoos.
This image could literally represent the devil! If you've been struggling or facing something for a while and you have someone to blame, put them on your conspicuous body parts!
Wrist Depression Tattoos
Not Today Depression Tattoo Ideas
Do you want others to know that they cannot refer to you the way they believe or have done in the past? This is the perfect tattoo for you.
It will look amazing on your wrist and you will love showing it off wherever you go.
"Not today" will symbolize your will and the path you are willing to take to avoid any thoughts of depression.
I'm fine depression tattoo
Fight your depression with a dramatic and colorful tattoo. This one is perfect for those who love colors and green will symbolize your strength as well as your positivity.
This tattoo is quite simple. Depression stay away! You will let others know that you are all right and that you have been through a lot in your life, but you came out as a warrior!
Wrist depression tattoo small pictures Inspo
Do you feel like you sometimes cry for help? If yes, then this tattoo is for you. This can be done on your wrist as everyone will get the message and you will let them know what is happening to you.
Do you feel that you need to be saved? Some people are afraid to admit their true feelings. However, if you are not one of them and you want to ask for help in the most obvious way, get this tattoo.
This too shall pass depression tattoo
Remind yourself that everything will pass. People all over the world are always struggling with something they don't want to share with the world. If your message is specific and you are an honest person, this wrist tattoo will look good on you.
This too shall pass, remind you that you always face some battles, but come out of them a warrior. Time is your best medicine in this case, so take it easy and don't be too hard on yourself.
Depression survivor tattoo with date on wrist
Do you have an important date that influenced your whole life? This tattoo design will suit you as it will symbolize whatever hardships you have gone through.
Remind yourself of what has shaped you. Get this tattoo on your wrist and make sure the design you choose has meaning to you and the date you end up setting is strong and specific.
Arm and Shoulder Depression Tattoos
Black Ink Depression Tattoo Woman with Umbrella
Large shoulder tattoos and dramatic jewelry will suit men who love to exercise.
This design is the perfect devil inspired tattoo to help you fight depression by facing it and fighting it the right way!
This shoulder tattoo in black ink with raindrops will remind you that everyone goes through different battles, but it's important to stay protected, safe and sound! Using something to protect you during the worst of times always comes in handy.
Sinking Ship Depression Tattoo
Are you a fan of big tattoos? Some people may prefer shoulder placement as it is eye catching and perfect for those who are trying to express their true colors and their true side.
Remind yourself that everything is fine and place this quote over a sinking ship! In this way, others will know that you are a strong person who has come out of everything as a fighter and as a person who is constantly trying.
Fragile handle with care Depression Tattoo Ideas
Do you feel fragile from time to time? It's okay because we all have bad days. This dark red mascara with some details is suitable for men and women.
Fragility - handling with care is quite common in people who have struggled with many things in their lives. If you are depressed, remind yourself to stay strong with this tattoo!
Depression Minimalist Tattoo
Are you a chemist? Or maybe someone who just loves to show their love and appreciation for chemical tattoos and similar symbols? This design will suit those who prefer smaller tattoos. You will also like this design if you are a minimalist.
It can be a chemical process in your brain that happens when someone is depressed. It will also symbolize a long struggle in your case with something chemical, so show that you are stronger with this tattoo!
Depression-inspired watch, depression survivor tattoo
Remind yourself that you are always strong. This compass tattoo would look great on men as well as guys who like small but detailed details.
This black compass tattoo will say that you must stay strong and always hold on, no matter the situation!
Depression Sayings Tattoo Ideas
I refuse to drown in a depression tattoo
This small anchor tattoo is done with pure black ink and a few simple lines.
If you're afraid of big tattoos and prefer something minimal, get it on your arm or leg.
I refuse to drown, I will say that you are always trying to hold on and succeed in any situation. If something goes wrong, you can fix it! Remember that you are strong and you will receive an anchor to symbolize this journey.
Latin depression tattoo
Latin is the language of the dead, but it can still be an amazing tattoo design for people who prefer something out of the ordinary, as well as people who don't want others to know the meaning right away.
This tattoo means "dead silence, a large mirror of my despair". This is a song by Charles Baudelaire and this is a sentimental piece that you will enjoy if you prefer meaningful and sentimental tattoos.
Depression date tattoo for men and women
You can get a unique quote and place it on your forearm or hand. This design will suit anyone who is grieving or experiencing a loss. You will need 3 hours to get this depression inspired tattoo.
This saying "Part of my heart lives in heaven" is a beautiful work of art. This will suit you if you have experienced loss of any kind. You may feel a loss for your child, your partner, friend, or your parents. Something so sentimental would really look great on those who are suffering and trying to recover from a loss.
May God Depression Tattoo
Are you ready to let something happen in your life? Do you want a stronger and higher power to help you through difficult times? This tattoo will suit you if you are a religious person!
“Let God intervene in your life and let him change your life. Sometimes a little faith is all we need to get through terrible times.
Broken crayons, still colored depression tattoo
Last but not least, do you want this forearm tattoo? This is an ideal plain ink job that will take you 2-3 hours to complete. It will look great on men, women as well as teenagers who have struggled with something serious in their lives.
