Worried About a Troubled Student?

Dear Lynchburg College Community,

We all have a lot of contact with students, both in and outside the classroom. It is likely that you will encounter students in distress or even in crisis on occasion. This memo seeks to provide general guidance about how to respond in these situations.

Probably all students will be distressed at some point in their academic career. For most, a good night's sleep and support and encouragement from others will suffice. However, some situations require more care and action. Foremost among these are situations in which a student is expressing homicidal or suicidal intentions, seems to be out of touch with reality (seeing or hearing things that are not there ), is obviously disoriented, or engaging in any kind of threatening behavior like stalking or physical intimidation. In such situations it is imperative that you immediately contact Campus Safety & Security and the Dean of Students Office.

Fortunately, such situations are rare. You are more likely to encounter students who are in distress rather than in immediate crisis. Of great concern is the student who is in distress and is potentially suicidal. Because these situations can be so ambiguous, we want to make you aware of some of the warning signs and risk factors related to suicide.

According to the American Association of Suicidology, one or more of the following behaviors or emotional factors are warning signs of suicide:

• Hopelessness
• Rage, uncontrolled anger, seeking revenge
• Acting reckless or engaging in risky activities, seemingly without thinking
• Feeling trapped - like there is no way out
• Increased alcohol or drug use
• Withdrawing from friends, family, and society
• Anxiety, agitation, unable to sleep, or sleeping all the time
• Dramatic mood changes
• No reason for living; no sense of purpose in life

Certainly not all students who exhibit these signs will be suicidal. However, most people who commit suicide do give some clues of their intentions. Often these are ambiguous statements like the following:

• "Nothing really matters anymore."
• "I will be gone by then, so I don't care."
• "Everybody will be better off without me."
• "I wish I could go to sleep and never wake up."
• "I really don't have much to live for."
• "Sometimes I wonder if people would notice if I wasn't here."
• "They'll be sorry when I am gone."

Behaviors that can be clues include writing essays with morbid or violent themes, giving away beloved belongings, getting one's life in order, and taking risks one would normally avoid.

You should never ignore these behaviors and statements, ambiguous as they may be. If a student tells you his life is not worth living, it is appropriate to ask him what is going on that makes him feel that way and to ask directly if he is thinking of suicide. If the student is hesitant in responding or does not respond, there is reason for concern. Some of us will not feel comfortable having that kind of conversation with a student. You do not have to directly confront a student, but inaction is not an option. Any faculty, staff, or student who has concerns about someone's mental health should share those concerns immediately with the Dean of Students Office.

One of the lessons learned from the Virginia Tech incident is that all information about troubled students needs to be directed to a central office to ensure that a complete picture of the student's situation is obtained and can be reviewed as new information emerges. At Lynchburg College, the Dean of Students Office serves that role. The Dean can take administrative action and marshal resources to intervene to protect the student and the campus community.

A referral to the Counseling Center is always appropriate but not sufficient in cases like these for a number of reasons. First, confidentiality laws prohibit mental health therapists from revealing whether a student is in counseling. You will have no way of confirming whether the student went to or continued in counseling. Also, the legal threshold for therapists in Virginia for breaking confidentiality is higher than that of an administrative office like the Dean of Students Office.

The bottom line is that when you have concerns about a student's mental health, always contact the Dean of Students Office. If your concern arises after hours or on the weekends, please contact the Information Desk. Through the Dean on Call system (DOC) a Student Development professional is always on call during the academic year. Your call and information will be shared with the DOC and he/she will address the situation immediately. When there appears to be any dangerous situation involving a student or any person on campus, contact Campus Safety and Security immediately as well as the Dean of Students Office. Never commit yourself to secrecy. Err on the side of safety and feel free to consult with the Counseling Center if you have any doubts about what you should do.

Contact Information for referring troubled students:

• If you ever have a question or concern about a student, please contact John Eccles at eccles@lynchburg.edu in the Dean of Students Office at 434/544-8226.
• If he is not available, please relay your information to Dean Carole Furter at furter@lynchburg.eduor his executive assistant, Karen Zongrone, at zongrone@lynchburg.edu 434/544-8226.
• If they are not available, please contact Kristen Cooper, cooper.k@lynchburg.edu, Director of Residence Life, at 434/544-8320.
• If it is after hours, over the weekend, or you get voice mail and you need an immediate response, please contact the Info Desk at 434/544-5555 or 434/544-8100. Leave your name and number with the switchboard operator and your message will be relayed to the DOC. The DOC will respond appropriately contacting John Eccles, Carole Furter, and/or Kristen Cooper. (Please note that all three of these individuals serve on the DOC schedule as well.)

In addition to the DOC system, we operate a Residence Life, Chaplain, and Minister on-call system. These services can be engaged by the DOC if need be in any situation including one where a student is a potential threat to self or others.

The Dean of Students Office is not a counseling center, but we do refer students to counseling and do follow-up with the student about that experience. Many times a student is very open to going to the Counseling Center. Please continue to remember that the Counseling Center (544-8616) and the Spiritual Life Center (544-8348) are great resources and are the appropriate referral places for most situations and students.

As in most things in life, there are rarely black and white situations. You will have to use your best judgment of when to make a referral. However, don't feel like you need to make that decision in a vacuum. Call us.

Thank you for taking the time to read this and familiarize yourself with this resource. We wish you a successful year in your interactions with students.

Sincerely,

John G. Eccles
Vice President and Dean for Student Development