Woman’s Tattoo Expressing Struggle With Depression Goes Viral

A woman's photo of her tattoo inspired by her struggle by depression has gone viral after she shared it on Facebook.

Student Rebekah "Bekah" Miles, got a tattoo that she felt symbolized her personal battle with depression. It says "I'm fine" at one angle, but turned upside down reads "save me". Since posting the photo to Facebook, Bekah's post has been shared hundreds of thousands of times and receieved thousands of comments.

Speaking to Fox News, Bekah said her Professor at University inspired her to get the tattoo, after she also told her students that she had had depression. Bekah said she also wanted to help eliminate the stigma around mental illness.

Writing on Facebook, Bekah said:

"(Dear mom and dad, please don’t kill me over this permanent choice. I want you to hear me out.)

"Today, I am coming out with something that only few of you know. I am ready to have a conversation about my mental illness."

"Last year, I was diagnosed with depression. And in all honesty, I believe it was a problem for quite a while before that, but I think it just got worse to the point of hardly functioning."

"So today, I got this tattoo. I feel that my leg was the best place for the meaning behind it. When everyone else sees it, they see “I’m fine,” but from my viewpoint, it reads “save me.” To me, it means that others see this person that seems okay, but, in reality, is not okay at all. It reminds me that people who may appear happy, may be at battle with themselves"

Miles wrote in her post that she hopes her tattoo helps eliminate the stigma of mental illness.

“Mental illness is not a choice and will likely hit everyone at some point in their life,” she added. “If it’s such a huge issue, why aren’t we having this conversation about it? That’s why I got this tattoo; they are great conversation starters. This forces me to talk about my own struggle, and why the awareness of it is important.”

If you are experiencing depression, we have teamed up with Time To Change to offer advice on discussing your mental health with friends and family.