Semicolon tattoos - why are people getting them? - BBC Trending

A semicolon can be used when a sentence could come to an end, but instead continues. (For example: The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog; it keeps running into the bushes). People who suffer from mental illness have now taken on the punctuation symbol on as a metaphor for a moment when a person contemplates suicide - in other words, thinks about ending the story of their life - and yet they continue through their difficulties.\r
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Project Semicolon () began as a call for people to draw a ; on their body to highlight a range of mental health issues including depression, suicide, addiction and self-harm. Many are now making the marks permanent, with semicolon tattoos.\r
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The group describes itself as a faith-based movement, however founder Amy Bleuel says its inclusive of people of all faiths and identities but they just wanted to be open about their own beliefs.\r
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If you or someone you know has been affected by the issues raised in this report, click on the following links for organisations that can help. \r
Inside the UK - \r
Outside the UK - \r
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