Semicolon tattoos helping those dealing with mental health issues

The semicolon tattoo has taken off and carries a very powerful message.

It’s been a tough couple of years for Kim McGuire.  She suffers from anxiety and used to bury her emotions, but she's learned new coping mechanisms. That’s why she chose to get a tattoo.

“A couple of surgeries, losing my best friend to brain cancer, and I kept putting it on the back burner,” she says. “When I look at my arm and see my tattoo, I want it to remind me of the journey that I just came and how far I've come.”

She chose to get a semicolon as part of the tattoo’s design. The trend to get the semicolon started a couple of years ago in the U.S.  Amy Bleuer founded an organization called Project Semicolon in memory of her father, who committed suicide.

“An author uses a semicolon when they choose not to end a sentence,” she says. “You're the author, the sentence is your life, and you are choosing to continue.”

The movement is for anyone affected by suicide, depression, and mental health challenges. The organization's mission is to, “stay strong, love endlessly and change lives".

The Mental Health Commission of Canada estimates that one in five Canadians will suffer from mental health issues in any given year.

Aleta Armstrong works with the Canadian Mental Health Association of Simcoe County and says she's glad people are talking, but warns they still need help beyond the ink.

“That still leaves the people that are feeling that low, a tattoo isn't going to help them. They need to know that they can reach out,” she says.  “We have a crisis line people can phone 24 hours a day.”

Jenine Butcher hopes her new semicolon is a beacon of hope, especially for her kids.

“I hope that if someone is suffering, one of their friends, that they could see that I am someone that they can talk to, instead of holding it all in.”