Assisting the Emotionally Distressed Student

The Suicidal Student


It is not uncommon for students to engage in some degree of suicidal thinking. As a member of the faculty or staff, you may be in contact with students who have expressed these thoughts to you. It is important that you do not simply overlook these comments, because the student may be reaching out to you.

Suicidal risk is based on a constellation of clues, not just observing any one clue. These clues seem to fall into the following categories:


Situational Clues - One or more significant losses may have occurred

  • Overwhelming loss(es): death of a loved one, break-up with a partner etc.
  • Loss of highly valued entities: support systems, social institutions, etc.
  • Loss of status or opportunity: rejection from graduate school, not being accepted into major of choice, loss of status on the job.

 

 

Table of Contents

Introduction

Intervention, Consultation and Referral

The Anxious Student

The Suspicious Student

The Depressed Student

The Suicidal Student

The Student in Poor Contact with Reality

The Student Under the Influence

Violence and the Verbally Aggressive Student

Departmental Safety Plan

Counseling Center Services



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Emotional Clues - Several depressive symptoms often are present

  • Sleeping too little or too much
  • Difficulty concentrating
  • Eating much more or much less than usual
  • Low energy
  • No longer interested in previously pleasurable activities
  • Apathy
  • Poor self care (not showering/dirty clothing)
  • Crying spells
  • Feelings of worthlessness
  • Increased social isolation
  • Low self-esteem
  • Preoccupation with death
  • Hopelessness about the future
  • Irritability and mood swings

Verbal Clues - Something a person says, overtly or covertly, may communicate suicidal ideation and intent

  • "I'm going to kill myself."
  • "I wish I were dead."
  • "How do I donate my body to science?"
  • "I'm not the man I used to be."
  • "I don't see any way out."
  • "My family or everyone would be better off without me."
  • "I just can't go on or I can't take it any longer."
  • "I just feel like I am in the way all the time."
  • "Life has lost its meaning for me."
  • "Nobody needs me anymore."
  • "If (such and such) happens I am going to kill myself."
  • "If (such and such) doesn't happen I'll kill myself."
  • "I am getting out."

Behavioral Clues - Something the person does may communicate a self-destructive motive

  • A previous suicide attempt, particularly a recent or highly lethal attempt
  • Giving away valued possessions
  • Procuring means: buying a gun, asking for sedatives, etc.
  • Composing a suicide note
  • Putting personal affairs in order
  • Poor adjustment to recent loss of loved one
  • Sudden, unexplained recovery from a severe depression
  • Resigning from social groups, extracurricular activities, not attending classes
  • Bizarre or inappropriate behaviors
  • Crying spells without external triggers
  • Becoming disorganized, loss of contact with reality
  • Any unexplained change in typical behavior (change in grades, increased aggression, drug use, mood changes, social withdrawal, acting out sexually)
  • Visiting a physician for unexplained or vague symptoms (75% of successful suicides were preceded by just such a visit within one month of suicide)
  • Substance abuse: alcohol, and/or other drugs
  • Change in eating behaviors; e.g., overeating or loss of appetite

When working with a student who you think may be suicidal, the following guidelines should be kept in mind:

 

It is helpful to

  • Talk about suicide openly and directly
  • Try to sound calm and understanding
  • Be confident and caring, and know the resources available
  • Take charge and call or walk the student to the Counseling Center

It is not helpful to

  • Sound shocked by anything the person tells you
  • Emphasize the shock and embarrassment that the suicide would be to the person's family, before you're certain that's not what he/she hopes to accomplish
  • Ignore comments such as "The world would be better off without me."
  • Engage in a philosophical debate on the moral aspects of suicide. You may not only lose the debate, but also the suicidal person
  • Get too personally involved with the student



Counseling Center
Veitch Student Center
North Wing
University of California, Riverside
Riverside, CA 92521-0320
Phone: (951) 827-5531
Fax: (951) 827-2015