Depression Awareness and Suicide Prevention Training
Welcome to the on-line depression awareness and suicide prevention training. This
training is provided by the University Health Services for University of California,
Berkeley faculty, staff and students. You will learn about student mental health and
how to recognize and respond when a student is in distress, needs help or may be
thinking about suicide. The training will take approximately 12 minutes.
Take a moment:
• What are your views about depression, suicide, counseling and mental
health?
• Diversity at Cal
• Divergent views on depression, suicide and mental health issues
• Family of origin, culture, religion
As we start this training, please take a moment to think about your views on
depression, suicide, counseling and mental health. It is important to be aware of
your own reactions to these issues as you begin to think about assisting others.
There is a diverse population at Cal where faculty, students and staff may have very
different perspectives on these topics. While you may not be aware of every
different view, acknowledging that they exist can remove barriers to supporting
students. Where did you first learn about depression and suicide? How does your
family feel about counseling? How does your culture view mental health. Some on
this campus will come from cultures and backgrounds in which counseling is
accepted, while others cultures may not value counseling, seeing it as a sign of
weakness or only for those who are seriously ill. While some students come from
backgrounds where counseling has been accessible, others may come from
socioeconomic backgrounds in which counseling services were unaffordable,
unavailable or inaccessible.
911 for emergencies
• UCPD and Berkeley PD have training in how to handle emergency mental
health situations.
• UCPD from cell phone: 510-642-3333
One of the main goals of this training is to let you know that there are resources
available to you for help. If you ever have an emergency concern about a students
health please dial 911. Both the University of California Police Department and the
Berkeley Police Department have training in how to handle emergency mental
health situations. If you are concerned about the safety of a student or are
concerned that anyone is in imminent danger, please do not wait or try to manage
the situation on your own.
Consultation
• Consultation is key
• Don’t try to handle things on your own
Updated: Summer 2015
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510-642-9494
You can speak with a counselor by phone for assistance Monday-Friday
10am-5pm. (please check the UHS website as hours do change during
holidays and summer)
After hours for urgent non 911 calls: 1-855-817-5667
For non-emergency calls: consultation is key. Whether you are a student, staff or
faculty you do not have to handle things on your own. Counseling and Psychological
Services (CPS) is open Monday through Friday from 8am-5pm, with urgent drop–in
hours from 10am-5pm and you can call us at 510-642-9494.
For example you may have a question about a vague statement a student makes on
Facebook about being depressed, or about a statement that comes up in an essay.
CPS has an after hours number for consultation during evenings and weekends. This
number is 1-855-817-5667.
For example you may get a call from a friend in the middle of the night, and the
friend appears very depressed…you can ask the friend to call and talk with a
counselor.
Please allow CPS staff to help you figure out how concerned to be and the best way
to approach a particular student.
Stress at UC Berkeley
Undergraduates…demanding academic requirements…1stgeneration
student…isolation from family and friends…drugs and alcohol…transition
issues…romantic relationships…
Graduates…competition…relationship with advisor…departmental
politics…imposter syndrome…glass ceiling…maternal wall…anxiety around oral
exams, thesis and dissertation…questioning academic path
Students at UC Berkeley are under a lot of stress and we know that stress is often a
contributing factor in the onset of depression. Here is a list of some of the
significant issues that students deal with on a day to day basis at cal.. While some
sources of stress are unique, these are some common stressors that you should be
aware of. Students from underrepresented populations may also experience
additional culture-based stressors such as family pressures and micro-aggressions.
Some students at Cal who experience these stressors get help from family, friends,
religious organizations, and student groups to name a few. These students may
experience short term sadness or anxiety that comes with these stressors and
respond well to the supports of those around them.
This training will help identify when these supports are not enough and when
stressors become more significant, leading to depression.
Understand your role
• Learn to spot the signs for distress, depression and suicide
• Know the appropriate resources
• Connect the person to help
Updated: Summer 2015
Whether you are a faculty, staff or another student. You are a “gatekeeper” to
students getting help. People in distress turn to those they know: a close friend, a
caring relative, a trusted faculty or staff member. If you are able to recognize
common signs of distress and initiate a conversation with someone you are
concerned about, you can show them how and where to get help.
It’s as basic as these three steps:
Learn to spot signs of distress, depression and suicide
Know the appropriate resources
Connect the person to help
Signs of Distress
• Student overwhelmed—everything is a problem
• Significant changes in academic performance or behavior
• Significant physical changes
• Social withdrawal
• Strange behaviors and impaired thinking
• Intense emotional reactions
• Threatening statements and behaviors
When should you be concerned about a student? How can you know when to
intervene. In general, any sudden or dramatic change in a student’s behavior is
worrisome. Please take any of these signs seriously.
One of the most noticeable warning signs that a student needs help is if they make
threatening statements or behaviors. Watch for students who make references to
suicide; they may do this by making comments about wanting to die, giving away
their possessions, or using disturbing themes in their academic work.
Stalking behaviors and accusatory statements made in-person, via e-mail or other
modes of communication also indicate an acute crisis and require an immediate
response.
Depression includes multiple symptoms over at least two weeks
• Depressed mood most of the day
• Markedly diminished interest in pleasurable activities
• Significant weight loss
• Insomnia or hypersomnia
• Psychomotor agitation
• Fatigue or loss of energy
• Feelings of worthlessness or excessive guilt
• Diminished ability to concentrate
• Recurrent thoughts of death or suicide
Depression is one of the most common mental health issues among students
There are many ways that depression can affect a person but one does not have to
have all of these symptoms to be depressed. It is normal for people to feel sad from
time to time, such as after academic disappointments or when experiencing
relationship difficulties. Clinical depression is not the same as normal sadness.
Updated: Summer 2015
Clinical depression is pervasive in that it affects almost every aspect of a person’s
life – from school, work and relationships, to one’s view of themselves, ability to
cope with problems and physical health – These symptoms are not transient and
will last for 2 weeks or longer.
Important facts about clinical depression to keep in mind when you are helping
someone:
Clinical depression is an illness, not a mood. Clinical depression and other mental
health concerns are not character flaws or signs of weakness. They are treatable
illnesses, much like diabetes. Clinical depression can affect people of all ethnicities,
nationalities and cultural backgrounds. Clinical depression does not “go away” if a
person ignores it or thinks positively. However, it can usually be treated with
counseling, medication, or both.
Clinical Depression can look differently in different people. In many cultures, for
example some Asian American communities, it is common to express depression
through frequent headaches and stomach aches as opposed to stating the emotional
experience of sadness or depression. You don’t need to remember all the symptoms
that lead to a diagnosis of clinical depression. However, knowing some of these
symptoms can alert you to the fact that a student may actually be depressed. The
important point to remember is to watch for these signs and to refer any student
you think may be depressed to a mental health professional.
Facts about suicide
• You will not make someone suicidal by asking straightforward and caring
questions about suicidal ideation (thoughts of suicide)
• Suicidal people don’t want to end their life: they just want to end their
suffering and see death as the only option
• Early recognition and treatment of depression and other mental health
concerns is the best way to prevent suicide
• Take any mention of suicide seriously.
In order to help someone who is thinking about suicide, we must understand some
basic facts:
You will not make someone suicidal by asking direct and caring questions about
whether they have considered suicide. If they have, they may feel relieved to be able
to talk about it. If not, they will appreciate knowing that somebody cares enough to
ask. It’s not easy for someone who has thought about suicide to start the
conversation – they may feel that it will scare people off or that they are not going to
be taken seriously.
Suicidal people don’t want to end their life; they want to end their suffering and
unfortunately see death as the only option.
Early recognition and treatment of depression and other mental illnesses is the best
way to prevent suicide.
Take any mention of death or suicide seriously. Ask direct questions about how,
when and where they are planning to do it. The more specific their plans, the higher
their risk of suicide and the more urgent it is to get them help.
Updated: Summer 2015
Suicide Risk Factors
• Depression
• Current or past psychiatric diagnosis
• hopelessness
• Previous attempt
• Easy access to lethal means (gun)
• Family history of suicide
• Alcohol and Drugs
• Impulsive behavior
• Lack of social support
• Resistance to seeking help
• Ideation (thought)
• Plan (how to)
• Means
• Intent
This slide shows some of the risk factors for suicide. In general, students who have
made a past attempt are at greater risk for attempting again. Students with a
specific plan and means to carrying it out are also at greater risk.
While no one risk factor can predict suicidal behavior, it is important to pay
attention to these “red flags”. Many of the risk factors for suicide are not overt, but
the symptoms of depression which can contribute to suicide. Although most
depressed people are not suicidal, most suicidal people are clinically depressed.
When an individual begins to feel hopeless and believes that nothing will improve
their situation, they can be at risk for suicide.
How can you help
• It is ok to offer help
• Use team approach
• Consult!
Let’s say there is a student or friend that you’re concerned about. Perhaps they
exhibit several of the warning signs that we’ve covered. How can you help?
First, it’s okay to offer help when you are concerned about someone. Remember
that you don’t have to know everything and that being compassionate can make a
significant difference.
It’s important to recognize that a student may need more help than you can offer.
You are not expected to be an expert in mental health so take a team approach.
Consult with your colleagues and with Counseling and Psychological Services (CPS)
when you’re unsure what to do.
Do not promise the student confidentiality. You need to consult with a professional
when you are concerned that a student may be at risk. Faculty and staff must
understand that campus policies, as well as federal and state laws, allow you to
share this information with other university officials to protect the safety of
students.
Updated: Summer 2015
Do’s…
• Find time to talk privately
• Communicate your concerns, be specific
• Focus on observable behaviors
• Ask how they are feeling
• Check to see if they are getting help
• Offer to walk student to CPS
• Offer to help student call CPS
• Consult, Consult, Consult
What’s our advice to you?
Do something…Say something if you believe an individual is in emotional distress
or has signs of a mental health problem. If they had a cold or flu, you’d ask how they
are doing and how they are caring for their illness. The same should be true for
emotional distress. Showing the person that you noticed that things are not right for
them, asking how they are doing and if they are getting help all are indications of
caring and concern and should be part of what we do for each other.
It is often more productive to focus on observable behaviors instead of making an
armchair diagnosis. Students will hear “I am concerned about you, I have noticed
you have not been in class for a few weeks” more than they will respond to “I am
concerned about you, I think you are depressed”
Don'ts…
• Argue about student’s feelings or choices
• Diagnose or analyze
• Minimize
• Ignore comments about suicide
• Be sworn to secrecy
• Try to handle crisis yourself
• Forget to seek support and consultation for yourself
• Put yourself in situations that feel unsafe
Early recognition and treatment of depression and other mental illnesses are the
best way to prevent suicide. But remember that you don’t have to know everything
and you don’t need to be a mental health professional to help. You do not need to
diagnose or take care of the student yourself. Recognize when the student needs
more help than you can offer Knowing your limits is important as well as getting
the support you need when the situation is stressful or overwhelming.
Other Tang Resources
Social Services (510-642-6074)
• Alcohol and Drug counseling
• Sexual assault counseling
• Emotional support for medical concerns.
Care Services (510-643-7754)
• Faculty and Staff
Updated: Summer 2015
Online services
• uhs.berkeley.edu/self-help
• uhs.berkeley.edu/lookforthesigns/index.shtml
• uhs.berkeley.edu/BeWell
CPS is just one of the wonderful services offered at UHS. Students seeking support
for Alcohol and drug counseling, sexual assault and emotional support for ongoing
medical issues can contact the Social Services Department at 510-642-6074.
Faculty and staff with mental health concerns can contact CARE services at 510-6437754
Thank you!
Updated: Summer 2015