Help Others
What to notice and how to respond
Each member of our community has a role to play in supporting the mental health of our campus. Thank you for caring for the health and well-being of others. The following describes how to recognize and respond to three different levels of distress.
Levels of distress
- Concern: Visible distress, sadness, anxiety; decline in academic work or performance; social withdrawal; significant change in mood or behavior.
- Elevated: Expressions of hopelessness or desperation; talk of suicide; being out-of-touch with reality.
- Emergency: Immediate threat of harm to self or others
For more information view the Concern for Others resources.
Download Quick Help Guide
Concern Level of Distress
Signs at the Concern Level of Distress:
- Academic: Repeated absences, decline in academic performance (e.g., quality/quantity of work), frequent missed assignments or requests for extensions
- Physical: Marked changes in physical appearance or hygiene, coming to class under the influence of alcohol or other drugs, fatigue/exhaustion, obvious cuts/burns/bruises
- Emotional: Appearing anxious, sad, or irritable (e.g., excessive worry, crying panic attacks), pronounced self-doubt, disproportionate response to grades/evaluations
- Social: Isolation or withdrawal, conflicts or difficulties getting along with others (e.g., group project)
- Experience of distressing events: Significant illness/death in one’s life, trauma, bias/microaggressions, natural disasters, major life changes
Responding at the Concern Level of Distress:
- Talk with the person directly. Review Tips for talking with someone directly.
- Refer the person to relevant resources (refer to Get Support: Ithaca Campus or Support for Students at Cornell Tech).
- Submit the Student of Concern Referral form, through Student Support and Advocacy Services (SSAS). Make sure to select “Student of Concern” in the report type drop-down menu.
- Make a plan to check back in within a few days.
- Talk with someone who can help:
- Students:
- Reach out to residential resources, such as a Residence Hall Director (RHD) or House Assistant Dean (HAD), Resident Advisor (RA), Graduate Resident Fellow (GRF), or Undergraduate Resident Fellow (URF).
- Reach out to your academic advisor or student services in your college/school.
- Reach out to a confidential resource. Visit the Confidential Resource section of the Get Support: Ithaca Campus page for information about confidential resources.
- Reach out to any staff or faculty member you are connect to and trust, such as a staff member in one of the many resource centers or a course professor or teaching assistant.
- Connect with Cornell Health (24/7): 607-255-5155
- Faculty and Staff:
Elevated Level of Distress
Signs at the Elevated Level of Distress:
- Multiple concern situation-level signs that continue to escalate and/or
fail to resolve - Expressions of hopeless or desperation
- Talk of suicide or harm to others (verbally, in writing, on social media)
- Worsening symptoms of psychological distress (e,g., extreme social withdrawal or isolation, intense agitation, worsening depression, increased panic attacks
- Out-of-touch with reality (e.g., signs of extreme euphoria, paranoia, hallucinations, delusions)
Responding at the Elevated Level of Distress:
- Talk with the person directly.
- Calmly observe what you are noticing and make a plan to check in with them.
- Express your concern and share that you want to involve others who can help.
- While with the person, connect them by phone with mental health support:
- For undergraduate, graduate, or professional students:
- For faculty, staff, and community members:
Remember, you don’t have to support someone alone and you can always consult with others, when needed:
- If you are concerned about a student, contact Student Support & Advocacy Services.
- Students can be referred to Student Support & Advocacy Services (SSAS) using this form, selecting Student of Concern in the Report Type drop-down menu. Note that this form is not designed as an emergency response notification process.
- Referrals are reviewed daily from 8:00 am - 5:00 pm (Monday-Friday), and are not monitored after hours, on weekends, or during official University holidays.
- A staff member from SSAS will reach out to the reporter and the student for follow-up and support.
- If you are concerned about an employee, contact:
Emergency Level of Distress
Signs at the Emergency Level of Distress:
- Immediate threat of harm to self or others
- The person has become non-responsive to outreach and is unable to connect to a crisis professional.
Responding at the Emergency Level of Distress:
Tips for talking with someone directly
Regardless of what level of distress a person is at, it is always important that you talk with the person directly and let them know of your concern(s). The way you approach the conversation, looks different depending on what level of distress the student is experiencing.
Concern Level
- Talk with the person privately.
- Ask open ended questions: “How are things going?” or “How are you feeling?”
- Listen attentively to the response. Do not give up if they are slow to talk. Allow for silences.
- Point out to specific signs you’ve noticed (e.g. mood, absences, lack of attention to detail, etc.).
- Comment in a supportive, non-judgmental manner (e.g. “It sounds like you’ve been having a hard time lately.”)
- Ask what the person thinks might be helpful. Help them get connected to appropriate resources or support.
- Reduce stigma around help-seeking: “Many students have found it helpful to use the Learning Strategies Center.”
- End the conversation in a way that allows either of you to come back to the subject at another time.
Elevated Level
- Calmly observe what you are noticing and ask them what’s going on.
- Express concern and share that you want to involve others who can help.
A note about talks of suicide
- If a student shares with you that they have been thinking about suicide or feeling hopeless, reflect back what you’ve heard, (e.g., “So, you are feeling that things are hopeless…”). Let the student know you’re glad they told you, that you want to help, and that things can get better. It’s okay to tell the student that you want to enlist the assistance of a professional resource in order to help them. For example, you can call Cornell Health (607-255-5155) with the student present so you can both consult with a mental health professional.
- Research shows that asking someone directly about suicide does not increase the likelihood that they will act on these thoughts. In fact, asking about suicidal thoughts can lower anxiety, open up communication, and reduce the risk of an impulsive act.
- It can be unnerving to hear someone say they are having thoughts of suicide. Take a deep breath and remember that suicidal thoughts, like all thoughts, are temporary, and that addressing those thoughts with the student does not increase the risk that they will act on them. Suicidal thinking can be treated.
Reporting students of concern
For all community members, if you are encountering a student with behavioral or safety concerns, please submit the Student of Concern Referral form, through Student Support and Advocacy Services (SSAS). Make sure to select “Student of Concern” in the report type drop-down menu.
If you are a faculty or an academic advisor and are encountering a student who is struggling academically, please complete the Academic Concern form.
- The purpose of this form is to alert the college/school student services team about issues impacting students’ academic success such as poor class attendance, missed work or exams, low grades, or struggles with study skills.
Please note: If a student is experiencing an emergency and you need to report an imminent threat or life-endangering situation, please call the Cornell University Police Department at (607) 255-1111 or 911.
