Counselling Services

Recognizing Distress

How can we recognize and respond effectively to students in distress?
What to look for in students:

• Significant changes in academic performance, incuding deterioration in quality of work, frequent missed assignments, excessive procrastination, or avoidance of classroom participation.
• Increased class absences or tardiness.
• Listlessness, lack of energy, of falling asleep in class.
• Unusual or bizarre behavious, including uexplained crying, laughing to self, very rapid speech, disoganized thinking, suspiciousness.
• Significant weight loss or weight gain.
• Complaints about physical symptoms, including nausea, stomach aches, headaches, or problems with eating or sleeping.
• Marked changes in personal hygiene or dress.
• Direct or indirect references to suicide or intention to harm or kill another person.
• Changes or disturbances in personal relationships.
• Visable signs of anxiety or depressed mood.
• Talking explicitly about hopelessness or suicide.
• Difficulty concentrating, difficulty carrying on normal conversation.
• Social isolation, social withdrawal or excessive dependency on Dons, Professors, or TA's.
• Excessive sleeping, internet use/gaming.
• Significant changes in personal, sexual, or cultural identity.