Semicolon tattoos in support of mental illness gaining in the Maritimes

WATCH ABOVE: People across the country are getting semi-colons tattooed on their skin in support of suicide survivors, and now it’s gaining momentum in the Maritimes. Global’s Shelley Steeves reports.

MONCTON – A movement called Project Semicolon is gaining momentum in the Maritimes.

People across the country are getting semicolons tattooed on their skin in support of survivors of suicide.

Moncton’s Sarah Doiron chose to get a semicolon permanently inked on her arm because she believes those suffering from mental illness are warriors.

“I have lost quite a few friends from suicide over the years as well so it’s near and dear to my heart,” she said.

Project Semicolon started in the United States and is quickly spreading across Canada. Corey Ferguson from the Canadian Mental Health Association says the goal is to lift the stigma of mental illness.

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“A semicolon is used in the English language in writing when the author could have chosen to end a sentence but did not and continued on that sentence,” she explained.

“So that is what the semicolon truly represents, it represents that choice to continue on through struggle and through challenges.”

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She says she suffers from depression and anxiety and has struggled with thoughts of suicide.

According to the CMHA, New Brunswick has the third highest rate of suicide in the country, closely followed by Nova Scotia.

“It is incredibly important to talk about it because the silence is what truly gets in the way of people reaching out accessing services and accessing help,” said Ferguson.

She said 70 per cent of people who died by suicide in New Brunswick this past year did not access mental health services.

Which is why Michael Coleman, who owns Ego Studios in Moncton, has decided to donate $10 from every semicolon tattoo to the Canadian Mental Health Association.

“For me it’s wonderful to do something where we can start creating some awareness and reducing the stigma associated with mental health conditions,” he said.

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Coleman says the semicolon tattoos serve as a permanent show of support for those who may be suffering in silence.

Ferguson says the tattoos also bring a new level of awareness.

“I was at the grocery store in Fredericton the other day and I saw a cashier with the semicolon tattoo and immediately I felt connected to that person and I smiled.”