Do dyed hair, piercings, tattoos link to mental illness?
Question asked:
“There is a high correlation between having dyed hair, septum piercings, many tattoos, and dressing immodestly and having mental illness.”
Summary
Research indicates that tattoos, piercings, and other body modifications are not reliable indicators of mental illness, and there is no evidence of a strong link between dyed hair, septum piercings, many tattoos, or immodest dress and psychiatric disorders. While some studies note modest associations with specific conditions like borderline personality disorder, the overall data do not substantiate a high correlation.
Sources 60 searched
- Self-esteem, propensity for sensation seeking, and risk ... - PMC
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- Body modifications in borderline personality disorder patients
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- Self-Perceived vs. Actual Physical Attractiveness: Associations with Depression as a Function of Sexual Orientation - PMC
Another study noted that participants who rated themselves poorly on physical attractiveness were at increased risk of anxiety and depression on the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI) compared to individuals who rated themselves as more attractive (Archer and Cash, 1985).
- Satisfaction with life, self-esteem and evaluation of mental health in people with tattoos or piercings - PubMed
Conclusions: Tattoos and piercings should not be considered as indicators of psychopathology.
- Cues to mental health from men’s facial appearance - ScienceDirect
(2017) found increased masculinity in the facial shape of boys and girls with ASD compared to those without. Other mental health disorders also show some degree of sex-specificity, for example, women tend to show higher rates of depression (Kessler, ...
- The effect of appearance and functionality concerns, and weight status, on negative body image mental health literacy in women - ScienceDirect
Furthermore, although decreases in social distance ratings were evident for these conditions in 2011 compared to 2003/4, increases in ratings of perceived dangerousness and unpredictability were also observed (Reavley & Jorm, 2012b). Combined with the increasing burden of mental health issues globally (Rehm & Shield, 2019), research in MHL thus remains an ongoing priority given the potential impact of recognition and stigma on help-seeking.
- Body Modification and Personality: Intimately Intertwined? | American Journal of Psychiatry Residents' Journal
An oft-repeated mantra is that ... presence of a personality disorder in the bearer (1–3). The veracity of this claim is difficult to substantiate anecdotally....
- Frontiers | Tattoos, piercings, and symptoms of ADHD in non-clinical adults: a cross-sectional study
Finally, tattoos and/or piercings have been linked with borderline personality disorder (BPD) (27) and antisocial personality disorder (28), both of which are highly associated with ADHD (29).
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