Identifying Students that Need Assistance

The Suicidal Student

Suicide is the second leading cause of death among college students.  It is important to view all suicidal comments as serious and to make appropriate referrals.  High risk indicators include:

• Feelings of hopelessness, helplessness, futility
• A severe loss or threat of a loss
• Feeling alienated or isolated
• History of drug and/or alcohol abuse
• History of mental illness
• A previous suicide attempt
• A suicide plan and the means to carry out that plan
• Preoccupation with death
• Writing about suicide or death (i.e., poetry, letters, journal)

Do:

• Take the student seriously – 80% of people who complete suicide give a warning of their attempt.
• Be direct – ask if the student is suicidal, if she/he has a suicide plan, if she/he has the means to carry out the plan.  These questions actually decrease a person’s impulse to carry through with their plan.
• Be available to listen.
• Activate the Crisis Intervention Team by contacting the Student Health Center (ext. 4606) or the Counseling & Special Programs office (ext. 4572).
• Call the Campus Police at ext. 4444 if the threat of suicide is imminent.

Don’t:

• Assure the student that you are her/his best friend; instead, agree that you are a stranger, but even strangers can be concerned.
• Be overly warm and nurturing.
• Flatter or participate in their “games” – remember, you don’t know their rules.
• Be cute or humorous.
• Challenge or agree with any mistaken or illogical beliefs.
• Be ambiguous.