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