TATTOOS TELL A LOT ABOUT MENTAL HEALTH

TATTOOS TELL A LOT ABOUT MENTAL HEALTH

LOS ANGELES (Wireless Flash) -- Mental health experts who want to look inside their patients' minds may want to start by staring at their tattoos. That's the advice of Los Angeles-based psychologist Dr. Maureen Mercury, who claims the location of a tattoo or piercing can help pinpoint a person's major hang-ups. For instance, folks who pierce their sex organs usually feel impotent in some area of their lives while a tattooed tush means you may have been spanked too many times as a kid. On the other hand, Dr. Mercury says some women get their belly buttons pierced to subconsciously deal with their fears of getting fat. Mercury discusses body modification and mental health in a new book, "Pagan Fleshworks" (Park Street Press).