Talk about making a statement.
After being diagnosed with depression last year, 20-year-old student Bekah Miles decided to get a tattoo that accurately captured her battle with the disorder. She posted a picture of the tattoo on Facebook along with a few words about her personal experience. The image reads "I'm fine" to most, but from Miles' perspective, the tattoo says "save me." The artwork -- and Miles' accompanying post -- is an honest insight into what it really means to suffer from depression.
"Today, I am coming out with something that only few of you know. I am ready to have a conversation about my mental illness," she wrote. "To me, depression is the days that I feel sad for no reason. Depression is the mornings that I don’t feel capable of getting out of bed. ... Depression is the tears I have because I don’t know why I feel so worthless, when I know I should feel happy."
Since Miles posted the image last Monday, it's already racked up thousands of overwhelmingly positive comments.
"You are an amazingly strong soul ... What I think is so courageous is that you have opened up yet another reason to have a conversation about mental illness," one Facebook user wrote. "It was very brave of you to put your life out there and make a difference by sharing something so personal. Keep up the good fight. Always look for that silver lining. You are most definitely someone else's silver lining today!"
The viral post is a welcome one, considering that there is still a stigma attached to mental health issues. Miles wrote in the caption that she hopes her tattoo inspires others to start a conversation about mental illness.
"This is one of the most difficult things to open up about because it’s extremely hard for me to feel vulnerable… but this needs to be talked about," she wrote. "Mental illness is serious, but so shamed in our society. We care so much for our physical health, but hardly a thing about our mental state. And that is seriously messed up."
Right on.
Take a look at Miles' full story in the post above.
If you -- or someone you know -- need help, please call 1-800-273-8255 for the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline. If you are outside of the U.S., please visit the International Association for Suicide Prevention for a database of international resources.
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