Signs a Student Is in Distress
Look for noticeable changes in mood, behavior, and/or academic performance. Trust your gut—if it doesn’t feel right, it probably isn’t.
Academic
- Missing classes, assignments, and/or exams
- Quality of work declining
- Repeated need for extensions and/or excused absences
- Morbid or disturbing content in written exams or notes
Physical
- Deterioration in personal hygiene
- Extreme weight loss or weight gain
- Strange or odd behavior
- Excessive anxiety or panic
- Frequent illness
- Noticeable cuts or bruises
Behavioral
- Anger or irritability
- Lack of responsiveness to outreach
- Excessive crying
- Isolation and withdrawal
- Direct statements indicating distress, including expressions of hopelessness
- Reports from other students that a student is struggling