Inked rebellion

If tattoos are anything to go by, a generation seems to have fallen through. Atleast a study seem to suggest so. Psychiatrists at the Michigan Centre for Forensic Psychiatry linked tattoos with antisocial personality disorder, or ASPD. According to the study, ASPD sufferers prefer action to thought and pathological lying, cheating, stealing, physical aggression and drug abuse are not uncommon. “I don’t want to generalise but I’m sure there’s a certain section of people that the study can relate to. A lot of people who get tattoos have had to go through a lot in their lives. Some people thrive on the pain of getting tattoos because the pain they suffer in their lives is nothing compared to the needle. It makes them feel alive,” says tattoo artist Al. His clientele includes a woman who finds getting inked orgasmic and another one who, on dreaming about a man who wanted to kill her, got herself a tattoo of that man with consultation from a book on dreams which relayed that getting the tattoo was the only way she could rid herself of the man. If these fall under APSD, would tattoos loom large at creating havoc on societal ‘norms’ rather than being just a fad?
“If a person has a history of APSD, tattoos don’t necessarily have to do with any of the behavioral tendencies. It may or may not co-relate. The association is not strong enough,” says Dr Hozefa Bhinderwala, consultant psychiatrist at Saifee Hospital and Prince Ali Khan Hospital.
The study also uncovered an increased likelihood for those with tattoos to have previously suffered from sexual abuse, abused substances or to have attempted suicide. “That’s just bull s**t. People get tattoos for different reasons. Some get it done for personal reasons, some just enjoy the pain while its art for a lot of people. I have a lot of tattoos and I’m planning to get some more. Do I suffer from some anti social disorder? I don’t think so,” says rapper Hard Kaur.And of course what’s a study without the numbers. People with ASPD significantly had higher numbers of tattoos, a larger percentage of their body covered with tattoos, and tended to have tattoos in more visible locations, the study says. While Al may have tattooed people in the strangest parts of the body veering him to comment that the eyes are practically the only place people don’t have tattoos, Dr Bhinderwala looks at it with a bioscopic view saying, “ The study probably dealt with people with criminal records. For them it’s about boldly showing who they are. It’s a sign of being macho. But the youth of today probably just get tattoos more as a fashion statement to grab attention.” Numbers or not, Amy Winehouse could have made a good subject.