Student Resources
Helping a Friend in Crisis
Know the warning signs of suicide/self harm:
- Direct or indirect threats to killing or hurting oneself, talking or writing about death, dying, suicide
- Expressions of hopelessness and helplessness, feeling trapped
- Past attempts at suicide or self-harming behavior
- Suicide planning behavior, acquiring means
- Putting affairs in order, giving away prized possessions
- Reckless and risky behavior, demonstrating no care for self, includes excessive substance use
- Withdrawal from friends and family, doesn’t want to leave room
- Unexplained anger, aggression, or irritability
- Presence of a significant loss in the life of the individual
Take steps to show you care and give hope:
Ask
- Tell them what you are seeing and communicate that you care for them. “I’m worried about you because you have not been going to class lately”, or “You look like you are sad and really upset.”
- Ask them how they are doing. “Can you tell me how you are doing?", or "What’s going on with you lately?"
- When in doubt, ask the question directly. “Are you thinking about suicide?", "Are you so upset that you are thinking about hurting yourself?" Even though this question is difficult to ask, it is important. If you can’t ask this question, find someone who can help you.
Listen
- Listen to the problem, giving your full attention.
- Don’t rush to judgment.
- Validate your friend's experience and be empathetic to what they are feeling.
- Reflect back to them what you hear them saying and how they are feeling.
Refer
- Know the resources that are available and give options so that they can know where to go for help. Prepare your friend for what they might expect if they follow your suggestion.
- Ask them if you can help them make a call or if you could walk with them to see a professional.
- Try to get a commitment from them to seek help.
- Check back with your friend to verify if they followed up on their commitment and hear how it went.
If you believe that the danger level is high and that your friend is out of control and unable to protect themselves, try not to leave them alone. Call Student Counseling Services, APSU campus police, or dial 911 for the Clarksville Police Department immediately.
Important Contact Numbers
Student Counseling Services Office (Ard Building): 931-221-6162
APSU Campus Police: 931-221-7786
Clarksville Police Department: 911
Crisis Text Line: text HOME to 741741
Suicide and Crisis Lifeline: 988
Mental Health Screening
Are you unsure if you or someone you care about needs to seek counseling services? Your mental and emotional health is an important part of your well-being and greatly affects your academic goals. This online screening is completely anonymous and only takes a few minutes!
Online Resources
Mental Health America of the Mid-South: Mental health self-assessments, self help resources
To Write Love on Her Arms: Help for those struggling with depression, bipolar disorder, self harming behaviors
Half of Us: Videos, personal stories, self help resources
Rethinking Drinking: Assess drinking habits, tools for change
Project Know: Information about treatment for addiction
Alcohol and Marijuana Screening
Alcohol eCheckUpToGo
What is Alcohol e-CheckUpToGo?
The Alcohol e-CheckUpToGo is an interactive web survey that allows college and university students to enter information about their drinking patterns and receive feedback about their use of alcohol. The assessment takes about 6-7 minutes to complete, is self-guided, and requires no face-to-face contact time with a counselor or administrator.
What Does it do?
When you access the Alcohol e-CheckUpToGo, you are prompted to enter information about yourself. In addition to demographic information, it will ask you to enter information about your drinking habits, family history, and to complete the World Health Organization’s AUDIT.
After all information has been entered, you submit the form. The information you entered is then validated and processed. The Alcohol e-CheckUpToGo calculates a number of variables and compares your responses to national and local college norms. Then, your personalized feedback is displayed in an easy-to-read format.
The Marijuana eCheckUpToGo
What is the Marijuana e-CheckUpToGo?
The Marijuana e-CheckUpToGo is a marijuana-specific brief assessment and feedback tool designed to reduce marijuana use among college students. The assessment takes about 10-15 minutes to complete, is self-guided, and requires no face-to-face contact time with a counselor or administrator.
What does it do?
When you access the Marijuana e-CheckUpToGo, you are prompted to enter information about yourself. In addition to demographic information, you enter information about your use of marijuana, spending patterns, and your lifestyle. After all information has been entered, you submit the form. The information you entered is validated and then processed. The Marijuana e-CheckUpToGo calculates a number of variables and compares your responses to national and local college norms. Then, that information is displayed in an easy-to-read format.