Recognizing Emotional Distress

If you are concerned about aUSF community member, but are not sure how to proceed, call the Counseling Center or the Employee Assistance Program and ask to speak with a member of the Consultation Team.

1. What to Do: Proactive Preparedness
   • Be familiar with signs and symptoms of ongoing distress
   • Seek consultation with Counseling Center or other knowledgeable professionals
   • Speak early with campus judicial officer who might meet with the student and establish a "contract" regarding their behavior
   • Direct the person to helpful resources at USF or in the community (Student Affairs Dean of Students, Counseling Center, Diversity & Equal Opportunity Office, Students with Disabilities Services (SDS), Office of Student Rights and Responsibilities/Student Affairs, Student Health Services, Advocacy Program)
   • Be familiar with student policies and procedures, especially dealing with disruptive classroom behaviors and disciplinary process.
     
2. Awareness and Identification: What to Look For (Signs/Symptoms)
   • Speech incoherent, loud, pressured, rapid, disjointed, slurred
   • Thought content: poor reality contact, irrational, paranoid, suspicious, grandiose, confused, disoriented, poor planning and decision-making
   • Dependency (hangs around, makes excessive appointments, excessive telephone contacts)
   • Stalking, obsessive pre-occupation, obsessive fantasizing
   • Intoxication (substance use and abuse); abuse of prescription medications or "over the counter" products
   • Anxiety (trembling, sweating, irritability, restlessness, reports worry, difficulty concentrating, insomnia, feeling overwhelmed, fearful)
   • Depression (reports or reveals persistent sadness, feelings of hopelessness, guilt, worthlessness, loss of interest or pleasure, insomnia, weight gain or loss, decreased energy, fatigue, difficulty concentrating)
   • In class: inconsistent attendance, decline in physical hygiene, listlessness, falling asleep in class, frequent illnesses/absences, poorly prepared or inconsistent work (especially if changed from a prior level of functioning), irritability, mood swings
   • Suicidal: makes threats or references to not wanting to live any longer, reports an overwhelming loss (perceived), has available means and a viable plan, reports lack of emotional support system (withdrawal), reveals poor coping strategies, reports or reveals substance use and abus