Student Mental Health and
Suicide Risk Reduction
Identifying and referring students in distress:
A “how to guide” for Rensselaer Faculty and Staff
Supported by the Garrett Lee Smith/SAMHSA Suicide Prevention Grant
Welcome to the Student Mental Health and Suicide Risk Reduction training program
brought to you by the Student Health Center with support from a US SAMHSA Suicide
Prevention Grant. This program serves as a guide for faculty and staff on how to identify
students in distress and how to assist these students in getting the help that they need.
“Wellness is a prerequisite to all else. Students
cannot be academically proficient if they are
physically or psychologically unwell.”
-Ernest Boyer
We begin with a quote from an influential educator, a man who, among his many
contributions at all levels of the educational system, recognized the importance of a
supportive, mentoring relationship between faculty and students, Ernest Boyer.
This quote speaks to the critical role that mental health plays in academic success. It’s
from this perspective that we acknowledge our inherent duty as educators to support
student mental health in an effort to support learning outcomes.
Learning Objectives
1.
2.
3.
4.
Raise awareness of mental health issues and
their impact on student learning.
Create awareness of national and local trends.
Raise awareness of warning signs of distress.
Introduce strategies you can use to get
students in distress to campus resources.
•As members of the Rensselaer community, we not only have the responsibility to offer
an array of services to support the academic endeavors of our students, but we must
also have a strong awareness of these services and how to link students to them. In this
course, we will be focusing on a topic of increasing significance for our students: mental
health.
•This program will provide you with a brief overview of college student mental health
issues, including specific information on conditions such as depression, anxiety, suicide,
and self-injury
•We will examine student mental health data at the national level and trends witnessed
here at Rensselaer
•And most importantly, we will discuss some specific warning signs of student distress
and outline strategies that you can use to help these students get the help that they
need
Extent of the Issue - Nationally
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YES or NO
UCLA survey:
Extent of the Issue - Locally
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YES or NO
RPI - CIRP Freshman
Survey:
Do you think mental health problems among RPI students are on the rise?
•Indeed, there is data to that suggest that our students are, like their counterparts
across the country, experiencing a rise in metal health issues.
Are Problems Getting Worse?
Nationally….
Survey of counseling center directors (n=367) revealed the
following (Gallagher, 2006):
92% reported continued
Directors report that 40% of
increases in the number of
their clients have severe
students with severe
psychological problems, 8%
psychological problems as
have impairment so serious
compared to 81% reporting
that they cannot remain in
this in 2002
school, or can only do so
with extensive
psychological/psychiatric
help
Depression – Anxiety – Suicide – Self Injury… common terms, but are these issues
becoming more common?
National data suggests that this is the case. Counseling Center Directors across the
country report continued increases in the number of students presenting with severe
psychological problems.
Its important to note that often the problems we are seeing in college generally start
before college. However, the problems, when ignored or untreated, intensify in the
college years.
Do Problems Get Worse at College?
Survey Item
Reported feeling
depressed.
Reported feeling
overwhelmed by all
they had to do
The Freshman
Survey 2003
(n=483)
College Senior
Survey 2007
(n=483)
2.60%
10.20%
15.00%
26.90%
This snap shot of a 2003 – 2007 cohort shows increases in reported depression and
percentages of students who feel overwhelmed.
More
pressure to
succeed
Lower stigma
around
mental illness
Poor Coping
Skills
More
treatments
available
Why
increase
in
problems?
Afraid to ask
for help
Family Issues
More
stressful
environments
Why an increase in problems during the college years? A number of factors contribute
to this rise in mental health issues among college students…
•
•
•
•
Students waiting until problems become severe because they are afraid
or unsure of how to ask for help
Millennial students have more economic, social, technological, and
cultural stress
Many college student now have less family support and more family
dysfunction
There is more openness and less stigma about therapy; and better
treatments available
Depression
Mood disorder characterized by persistent feelings of
hopelessness. Symptoms include:
•
Loss of interest in normal daily activities
•
Feeling sad or down
•
Feeling hopeless or worthless
•
Crying spells for no apparent reason
•
Difficulty sleeping, concentrating
•
Irritability and restlessness
One of the most common mental illnesses experienced by college students is
Depression. Depression isn't a weakness, it is a medical illness that involves both the
mind and the body. Symptoms of depression can include:
•Loss of interest in normal daily activities
•Feeling sad or down
•Feeling hopeless or worthless
•Crying spells for no apparent reason
•Difficulty sleeping, concentrating
•Irritability and restlessness
Percentage of Students Reporting that they seriously
considered suicide in the past 12 months
10
9.5
9
8.5
2000
2002
2004
2006
2006 RPI
American College Health
Association National College Health Assessment Surveys
National Samples 2000 – 2006; RPI sample 2006
Percentage of students reporting that they felt so depressed that
they could barely function at least once in the past academic year
American College Health
Association National College Health Assessment Surveys
National Samples 2000 – 2006; RPI sample 2006
Percent feeling hopeless
American College Health
Association National College Health Assessment Surveys
National Samples 2000 – 2006; RPI sample 2006
Anxiety
Psychiatric disorder characterized by chronic and
excessive feelings of anxiety. Symptoms include:
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
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Irritability
Tension
Restlessness
Difficulty sleeping
Sweating, racing heart, shortness of breath
Anxiety vs. Stress
Depression and Anxiety disorders are the two most common mental health concerns of
college populations. This data shows that, in 2007, 9.3% of Rensselaer students
surveyed reported struggling with a diagnosed Anxiety Disorder and 32.9% reported
stress negatively impacting their academic performance.
Reasons for Anxiety in RPI Students include:
 Academic Pressures
 Social Issues
 Test Anxiety
Self Injury

Intentional self harm to one’s own body.

A 2006 survey of 3069 college students conducted
by researches at Cornell and Princeton Universities
revealed that 17% of college students have cut,
burned, carved or harmed themselves in other ways.

Extrapolating this statistic to our student
population suggests that over 1,000 RPI
students have participated in self injurious
behaviors.
•Self-injury is repetitive behavior that results in minor to moderate physical injury.
•Individuals that self-injure may cut or burn their skin, pick at wounds or engage in
others activities to cause damage to their bodies.
•Self-injury generally occurs in response to a triggering event such as failure, anxiety,
loss, or anger.
•Reason for self-mutilation may be to stop racing thoughts, to feel relaxed, to feel less
depressed or feel less lonely, and to feel real
•The two most common reasons for college student self mutilation is to feel in control or
to deal with psychological pain.
Self Injury

Signs to look for:
 While most self injury is done in private, there are some
signs to look for;
 cut or burn marks on a student’s arms or legs
 scabs that are picked at or are not healing
 if you are a Residence Life staff member, things such
as razors, pieces of glass or bent paperclips in the
student’s room
Self injurious behavior is often confused with suicide. While there can be some overlap,
most students who self injure are not suicidal. However, both issues are serious and
need equal attention.
Suicide Statistics – The Jed Foundation
1 in 12 college
students
makes a
suicide plan
Suicide is the
2nd leading
cause of death
among college
students
7.5 of every
100,000
college
students take
their own lives
1,100 US college students will
commit suicide this academic year
The Top 2 Methods of Suicide in College Students are:
 Firearms
 Chemical Poisoning – most often by cyanide, which is easily found in many
chemistry labs
Suicide Risk – RPI Students
9% of RPI students
considered suicide in the
past 12 months
1% of RPI students
reported a history of
suicide attempts
American College Health Association Survey, fall 2007
(n=1,331)
Risk Factors related to suicide vary greatly and include:
Age (geriatric, 15-24)
Gender (male more likely to have a completed suicide, women are more likely to
attempt)
Mental Health Problems such as depression
Failure/Academic Problems
Substance Use
Previous Suicide Attempt
Loss
Access to Means
Emergency/Crisis Situations
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Any mention of suicide, whether it be in person, email, or
Instant Messaging should be taken seriously and referred to
either the Counseling Center (276-6479) or Public Safety
(276-6611).
Any mention of homicide, whether it be in person, email, or
Instant Messaging should be taken seriously and referred to
either the Counseling Center (276-6479) or Public Safety
(276-6611).
Warning Signs of Students in Distress
Red Flags to watch for:
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Declines in academic performance or attendance
Marked changes in Behaviors or Emotions
Poor personal hygiene
Excessive procrastination
Any mention of suicide or harming themselves/others
Decrease in the quality of work or attendance
Too frequent office visits (dependency)
Impaired speech or disjointed thoughts
Under-responding to academic notice
Too much or too little time spent in the residence hall
Listed here are behavioral and emotional warning signs associated with the mental
health issues we have been discussing in this presentation.
If you witness any of these warning signs or “red flags” in your students they may be
experiencing a personal or psychological problem and could benefit from some
professional help. You could provide the crucial link to assistance that helps the student
return to positive outcomes in their academic and personal lives.
What Can You Do?
Learn the
signs and
symptoms
Report
academic and
psychological
problems
Consult with
the Student
Health Center
Refer students
to help
Increase
knowledge
So what can you do? We all have a responsibility as a member of the Rensselaer
community to…
•
Learn about these issues, know your students, and make referrals
•
Become aware to the warning signs of stress levels that are too high
•
Gain education about prevention
•
Educate our students about self-care
Other options include:
Making use of non-medical interventions, internet resources, exercise, stress
management, self-help resources (e.g., allaboutdepression.com)
Form liaisons with the Student Health and Counseling Center staff
Have all faculty report academic and psychological problems through the EWS
Electronic Warning System
Contact someone in the Counseling Center when you have concerns about a student
Pick up the phone and help the student make an appointment
Know your limits
Strategies for Helping Students
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Observe
Initiate Contact
Listen
Offer Help
Make a Referral
When in doubt… consult with Health or
Counseling Staff
First, think of a student you have known who has displayed some of the “red flags” we
just discussed.
What behaviors did you observe?
Talk to the student in private about your concerns, using specific examples of the
behaviors you are seeing and why it concerns you.
Do not be judgmental, (for example, say “I notice you have been missing class, is
everything alright?” rather than saying “Why are you never in class?”).
Paraphrase and use non-verbal cues to let the student know that you understand and
empathize with them.
Suggest the student access the help available on campus – give many resources and
referrals depending on the issues.
When in doubt, always consult with staff in the Counseling Center - we answer many
calls from faculty saying “This is what I’m seeing, what should I do?”
Making Referrals
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If the student is in immediate need of assistance,
contact or walk the student to Public Safety and have
them contact the Counseling Center
If the student is not at risk to harm themselves or
others, suggest in a caring manner that they might
benefit from a meeting with the Counseling Center.
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Reinforce that meetings are confidential – even to you
Counseling does not impact or influence academic records
Counseling sessions are free to registered students
Suggest that they call for an appointment right from your
office
Electronic Warning System
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On-line Banner based system for faculty to
report concerns about students:
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Test Performance
Missing/Poor Assignments
Poor Attendance
Other – Emotional/Behavioral Issues
Concerned about a student because of poor test performance, missing or poor
assignments, poor attendance, or emotional/behavioral issues? Please enter your
concern into the Electronic Warning System so that the multidisciplinary intervention
team may intervene accordingly.
Summary
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Data
Red Flags
Referrals
Student success – everyone’s job
Contacts:
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Health Services (276-6287)
Counseling Services (276-6479)
Public Safety (276-6611)
Both national and local data suggest that mental health concerns such as
stress/anxiety, depression, and self-injury are becoming more prevalent among college
students. We know that these problems have a direct impact on academic success. We
also know that faculty and staff members have the opportunity to have a direct impact
on getting students in distress to the help they need.
Specific and significant changes in behaviors, emotions, and academic performance are
“red flags” that suggest the presence of mental health problems. When you see these
“red flags” reach out to students and refer them to help. Getting our students in distress
to help will prevent further academic and personal problems. Everyone in the
Rensselaer community can play an active role in supporting student success.
References
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American College Health Association. American College Health
Association - National College Health Assessment (ACHA-NCHA) Web
Summary. Updated August 2007. Available at http://www.achancha.org/data_highlights.html. 2007.
Cornell University (2006, June 5). Self-injury Is Prevalent Among
College Students, Survey Shows. ScienceDaily. Retrieved March 11,
2008, from http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2006/06/060605155351.htm
Gallagher, R. P. 2006. National survey of counseling center directors
2006. Washington,
D.C. International Association of Counseling Services. Available at
http://www.iacsinc.org/
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Before we venture into specific mental health conditions – a question…
Do you think mental health problems on college campuses nation- wide are on the rise?
•There is strong data that suggests that mental health issues among college students
across the country are on the rise.
•As one example, this graph of data collected at UCLA, compares college freshman
who report feeling overwhelmed by the transition to college in 1985 compared to 1999.
As you can see, there is a significant increase.
•Additional national data will be presented later in this session – but, how does more
local data compare with national trends…