By DHARMENDER SINGH, RACHEL KAM and A.RAMAN

A 34-year-old chef, believed to be suffering from depression since his wife left him seven years ago, has tattooed a number of rather morbid words on his body.

Words such as die, soul, hell and death-related terms were emblazoned on his forehead, neck, arms and several other parts of his body for the past three months, China Press said, quoting reports from Singapore.

His mother believed that her son had been unable to accept the fact that his wife had left him, taking their then one-month-old baby with her.

The young wife was already pregnant prior to their wedding. After giving birth to a girl, she asked for a divorce.

She has remarried since then and has a son.

"Ever since his wife left, my son became very quiet and depressed," the mother said. The man was quoted as saying that he would not remove the tattoos.

According to a psychiatrist, the tattoos were a way of protesting and that the nature of those words indicated that the man intended to end his life.

The Star/Asia News Network