Distressed Student Protocol
College students are often faced with stressors on a variety of levels. In, Illinois,
suicide is the 11th cause of death resultitn in more than 1,000 deaths each year.
For young adults 15-34 years of age, suicide is the 3rd leading cause of death in
Illinois. Suicide is among the leadieng causes of death for young adults and college
students (CDC, 2020).
Students with depressions or anxiety are at increased risk for suicidal thoughts and
behaviors (Casey et.al., 2022); and, over one in four U.S. College students experienced at least one
mental health condition; and 23.7% of college students were at higher risk of suicide
(Amercian College Health Association, 2020).
CSU's mission is to promote excellence, ethical leadership, entrepreneurship, and social and environmental
justice. We will embrace, engage, educate, propel and elevate our students and community
to transform lives locally and globally. These aspirations mean little if even one person dies by suicide. A zero tolerance for death by suicide is the mission for the campus. In addition, it is the goal of
the counseling department to have 100% of the campus community promote suicide prevention
through training, education and outreach.
American College Health Association, 2020. American college health association-national
college health assessment iii: reference group executive summary fall 2020
Casey S.M., Varela A., Marriott J.P., Coleman C.M., Harlow B.L. The influence of diagnosed
mental health conditions and symptoms of depression and/or anxiety on suicide ideation,
plan, and attempt among college students: findings from the healthy minds study. J. Affect. Disord. 2022;298:464–471. 2018-2019.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2022. Disparities in suicide.
The Columbia Protocol
The Columbia-Suicde Severity Rating Scale (C-SSRS) is a tool to assess risk and save
lives. The first step is to ask.
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