As an administrator, faculty, or staff member engaging with students, your role is crucial in identifying those who may be struggling and in facilitating access to the necessary support. Your ability to observe changes in behavior can be a key indicator of a student’s emotional well-being. The following information is intended to guide you in understanding the range of stress and emotional responses, helping you to discern situations that may require deeper support and intervention.
We all have days that present us with challenges, and it’s natural to have emotional responses to those experiences. Feelings of stress, emotional upheaval, and mental health struggles, while certainly difficult, are typically not life-threatening and do not pose immediate safety concerns that would necessitate urgent professional intervention. It’s common to instinctively think, “This person needs help,” when witnessing someone in distress. However, it’s crucial for the strength of your relationship with the student, as well as the therapeutic alliance and their overall well-being, to recognize and differentiate between varying levels of emotion and crisis. This awareness allows for a more appropriate and compassionate response.
Stress or Emotion: Upset feelings in response to challenges or situations that do not necessarily require your attention or efforts, however can provide comfort. An example of a stress or emotional reaction is “I am really stressed out because I don’t feel ready for my test.” or “I’m sad because my friend got mad at me for not going out last night.”.
Distress: Upset feelings long after the original situation has ended. At this time, you may suggest professional intervention but it is not necessary to facilitate the process. Just offer the information. An example of distress is “I got a bad grade last week and I never do well in this class. It’s not worth trying anymore. I always mess. I have been so angry and disappointed with myself recently.”
Crisis: Upset feelings regardless of the situation that result in possible or actual threat to self or another. This requires immediate intervention and the student should either be walked to the center or have the campus police contacted for hospital evaluation. An example of a mental health crisis is “I give up. I have no purpose or there is no point to anything. I don’t care anymore. I want it all to stop.”
A mental health crisis is characterized by more than just temporary emotional upset; it is a critical moment where immediate intervention might be essential to prevent further harm. According to the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI), a mental health crisis is “any situation in which a person’s behavior puts them at risk of hurting themselves or others and/or prevents them from being able to care for themselves or function effectively in the community”.
- Statements about suicide or death, or attempts at suicide or self-harm
- Written or verbal threats towards others
- Destruction of property or other criminal acts
- Extreme anxiety, panic, or uncontrollable crying
- Inability to communicate (pressured or slurred speech; disjointed or jumbled thoughts)
- Alarming mood swings or sudden outbursts of anger, fear, or sadness
- Paranoia, hallucinations, or delusional thinking
- Highly disruptive behavior (e.g., hostility, aggression, violence)
- significant impairment or overdose on an illicit drugs, alcohol, or medication
It’s important to understand that the Talley Center is not a crisis facility and may not be equipped to handle all aspects of crisis care. We are place where you can seek immediate assistance for pressing concerns, without the need for an emergency room visit. However, if a situation escalates to an emergency level, such as someone exhibiting severe suicidal tendencies, destructive behavior, psychosis, or significant intoxication, it requires a higher level of intervention than we can provide. In such cases, the best course of action would be to reach out to campus police for transport to the emergency room, ensuring the safety of staff and the individual and individual receives the necessary support and care right away.
Remember, stress and an emotional reaction does not automatically equate to distress or crisis. If you need help distinguishing between when to refer a student to counseling, when to manage the situation as a faculty or staff member, and when to contact campus police, please contact the Talley Center at 540-654-1053 for guidance.