Recognize the signs or indications that students may be in distress. Students may present with signs that are not listed.
Academic
- Sudden decline in quality of work and grades
- Frequently missed classes/assignments or use of office hours for personal support
- Conduct that interferes with classroom activities
- Multiple requests for extensions
- Doesn’t respond to repeated requests for contact or meetings
- Academic work is disorganized or dominated by themes of hopelessness, isolation, rage, despair, violence or self-harm
Physical/Behavioral
- Marked changes in physical appearance such as poor grooming/hygiene or sudden changes in weight
- Strange, disoriented, or bizarre behavior indicating loss of contact with reality
- Unusual speech, such as rapid, garbled, rambling, tangential, disconnected or slurred speech
- Depressed or lethargic mood
- Observable signs of injury like facial bruising or cuts
- Intoxication, hangover, smelling of alcohol, evidence of drug misuse
- Behavior that is out of context or out of character, or manic
Psychological
- Discloses personal distress like family problems, financial difficulties, assault, discrimination or legal difficulties
- Excessive tearfulness, panic reactions, irritability or unusual apathy; reactions seem disproportionate to the event
- Verbal abuse like taunting, badgering or intimidation
- Expression of concern about the student by peers
- Feeling hopeless and helpless
- Concerning interpersonal communication style (e.g., withdrawn or agitated, mutters under breath, slow response time to questions)
- Delusions and paranoia
Safety Risk
- Verbal, written or implied references to suicide, homicide, self-harm behavior; Implying or direct threat of harm to self or other
- Unprovoked anger or hostility
- Physical violence like shoving, grabbing, assaulting or use of a weapon
- Stalking or harassing
- Makes threats or disturbing comments in person, or via email, text or phone
- Signs of physical abuse
- Signs of self-injury
- Interpersonal violence
- Verbal abuse (e.g., taunting, badgering, intimidation)
- Unresponsive or altered level of consciousness