Academic Indicators

• Repeated absences.
• Sudden decline in quality of work and grades.
• Disorganized performances.
• Multiple requests for extensions.
• Overly demanding of faculty and staff time and attention.
• Bizarre content in writing or presentations.
• You find yourself having more personal (rather than academic) conversations during office hours.

Physical Indicators

• Marked changes in physical appearance including deterioration in grooming, hygiene, or weight loss/gain.
• Excessive fatigue/sleep disturbance.
• Intoxication, hangovers, or smelling of alcohol or marijuana.
• Self-harming behaviors such as cutting, burning, etc.
• Disorientated or “out of it.”
• Garbled, tangential, disconnected, or slurred speech.
• Behavior is our of context or bizarre.

Psychological Indicators

• Self-disclosure of personal distress such as family problems, financial difficulties, contemplating suicide, grief, or a recent hospitalization.
• Unusual or disproportional emotional response to events.
• Excessive tearfulness, panic reactions.
• Irritability or unusual apathy.
• Impacted by traumatic events.
• Verbal abuse (e.g., taunting, badgering, intimidation).
• Expressions of concern about the student by his or her peers.

Safety Risk Indicators

• Unprovoked anger or hostility.
• Physical violence of any kind (shoving, grabbing, assault, presence of a weapon).
• Implying or making a direct threat to harm self or others.
• Stalking behavior or harassment.
• Academic assignments dominated by themes of extreme hopelessness, rage, worthlessness, isolation, despair, acting out, suicidal ideation, violent behaviors.
• Communicating implied or direct threats via email, correspondence, texting, or phone calls.