Depression and Suicide

If you have taken steps to end your life, please call campus security at (626) 395-5000 so they can arrange for medical help. We ask you to do this so that we have a chance to help you with whatever leaves you feeling so overwhelmed that life is not worth living. We believe you can be helped. We would like a chance to help you.

If you are considering taking your life, please let us or someone try to help. We know that when people are suicidal they feel like nothing will help -- but we'd like to try, and it could make a difference for you. Please call Counseling Services at (626) 395-8331 and one of our counseling staff will talk with you. Telephone crisis consultation is available after business hours on weekdays, weekends, and holidays by calling the Counseling Services main line at (626) 395-8331 and pressing "2" when prompted. A counselor may follow up with you the next day regarding your use of after-hours support to offer additional support or resources.

You may also contact the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline, a 24-hour suicide prevention hotline at 988.

Additional Resource: What You Need to Know About Suicide - The Jed Foundation

If someone has attempted to take their life, they are in need of medical assistance. If you are on campus, call Campus Security at (626) 395-5000, or if off-campus, call 911 for emergency medical assistance.

If you are concerned that someone is in imminent danger of taking their life, call Campus Security at (626) 395-4701, or call 911 if you are off-campus.

If you are concerned about a Caltech student who is not in any immediate danger of harming him or herself, please call the Counseling Center at (626) 395-8331 for a confidential consultation on how best to help. Telephone crisis consultation is available after business hours on weekdays, weekends and holidays by calling the Counseling Services main line at (626) 395-8331 and pressing "2" when prompted.

If you are concerned about a Caltech staff or faculty member and are in need of consultation, you may call the Staff Faculty Consultation Center at (626) 395-8360.

You may also contact the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline, a 24-hour suicide prevention hotline at 988.

If you believe you may be depressed, you should know that depression can be effectively treated. People who are depressed often believe they cannot be helped; some of that belief comes from the illness itself - depression causes a sense of hopelessness. Sometimes the belief that you cannot be helped comes from previous experiences of someone trying to help you. Friends, family members, or professionals may have tried to be of help in the past without success. It is important to know that treatment for depression should be and can be tailored to the individual. The first step could be to come to Counseling Services and talk with someone there about your depression and your previous attempts to deal with it. We will help you to come up with a plan.

In the general U.S. population, it is estimated that 2 to 3 percent of men and 4 to 9 percent of women are depressed at any given time. Suicide is now the second leading cause of death in U.S. college students, and suicide in the young has tripled in recent years. Though these numbers are staggering, suicide can be prevented and depression can be treated.

• Sleep - Excessive sleep or difficulties falling and staying asleep, nightmares.
• Interest - Loss of interest in pleasurable activities such as work, recreation, hobbies, food, sex.
• Guilt - Feelings of guilt that are excessive for the situation, or a constant feeling of worthlessness.
• Energy - Loss of energy, fatigue, decreased motivation, difficulty initiating tasks.
• Concentration - Difficulty concentrating, focusing, or remembering.
• Appetite - Increased or decreased appetite possibly resulting in weight gain or loss.
• Mood - Appears down, has a pessimistic or cynical attitude, or is generally apathetic.
• Suicidal Ideation - Suicidal thoughts or intentions.
• Social Withdrawal - Isolation, change in desire to engage with others. May stay in their room more than usual.
• Avoidance Behavior - Spending increased and excessive time engaging in behavior to distract themselves (computer games, surfing the net) or behaviors that are self-destructive (alcohol, drug use, or cutting). Avoids people to whom they feel an obligation to do something but are unable to (advisors, professors, TA's, etc.).
• Appearance - People who are depressed sometimes have less interest in their appearance or have less energy to invest in grooming. They may shower less frequently, or wear the same or wrinkled clothes repeatedly.

If you notice a change in someone's behavior and mood, and they experience some of the symptoms described above for more than two weeks, the person may be depressed. You do not have to be able to diagnose someone as suffering from depression to help them; just consider the above-mentioned symptoms as indicating something is wrong and talk with them about your concern (how you may help someone who is depressed).

How Can You Help Someone Who is Depressed?

Approach the student about the changes you have noticed (in their behavior, demeanor, and appearance). If you focus on their behaviors, it can feel less threatening than telling them you think they are depressed. Approach with empathy and concern.

• "I'm concerned. You don't seem as interested in your work/hanging out with us."
• "You seem to be sleeping a lot lately, how are things going for you?"
• "It doesn't seem like you have been sleeping much lately and some of the ideas you've been talking about seem pretty far-fetched."

Listen actively without judgment. Try not to "fix" the student's problem or give advice too quickly. Pay attention to verbal and nonverbal communication (attend to the student, give your undivided attention).

Understand the student's problem. Ask open-ended questions (e.g. How are you doing vs. Are you doing ok?). Reflect back what the student is telling you so that they know they are understood. Acknowledge how difficult or hard their situation must be. Make statements tentative and enable the student to describe their own experience. Intermingle questions with reflections of the feelings they've expressed. Use the student's language. If they do not identify their feelings as depression, labeling them as such can be overwhelming or cause the person to believe you don't understand.

If depressed, assess for suicide:

• Explore what the student has already tried to do or has done in the past to deal with their depression.
• Help the person get moving. If there is something that the student can do to change their situation (e.g., get some tutoring, talk with their TA), encourage them to address their problem.
• Limit the advice you give. While encouragement and mobilization can be helpful when a person is depressed, it is probably best to refrain from giving advice too quickly because the student may feel like you are minimizing their situation or problem.
• Help them to get help. Recognize when a problem is too difficult for the student or the two of you to handle alone.
• Ask the student if they have considered talking with someone. Find out how the student feels about talking with some (e.g., the RA or someone at the Counseling Center at (626) 395-8331). You may be able to help them get past their own reservations about getting help (e.g., reassure them that it does not mean someone is weak or crazy if they talk with a counselor).
• Get them connected with resources on campus that can provide more help (e.g., Counseling Center located in the Health Center at 1239 Arden Rd., RA's). You can help the student overcome their fears or apprehension of seeking help by offering to accompany them if they are reluctant to come in on their own.
• Ask them how things went after meeting with the counselor. This lets the student know that you are interested in them, but also understand that a student may not want to disclose the details of their meeting. Additionally, because of the limits of confidentiality, counselors will not be able to confirm if the student has come to the center, so asking the student directly if they have sought help will give you some reassurance.
• Be encouraging. Let the student know that it takes some time for things to change. Support the student in continuing to seek help.
• If the student continues to have problems, check in with them over time to see how things are going. Check to see if they are still getting help. Let the student know if you remain concerned or become more concerned. Consider calling the Counseling Center to see how you can be of help especially if the student is suicidal or if their problems persist.
• If the student won't get help, talk with someone at the Counseling Center at (626) 395-8331, or the Staff/Faculty Consultation Center at (626) 395-8360 about what you can do to further help the student.

How many people get depressed?

While the incidence of reported depression in the U.S. is higher for women than for men, 10.4 percent vs. 5.5 percent, it is not clear whether men get depressed less often, or whether it's simply harder to tell when they're depressed. Men in general, are less likely to seek help, while women may be more comfortable expressing their depression because of societal expectations of gender-typed behavior.

What factors affect the experience of depression?

Gender

• Women generally talk more about the emotional experience of depression: "I feel sad," "I get upset so easily."
• Men, on the other hand, may talk more about the physical symptoms of depression and complain about not being able to concentrate, feeling tired, or having physical pain. Depression in men may also be more likely to be expressed as anger or be masked by substance use.

Culture

• Individuals may focus on the physical effects of depression (e.g. fatigue, stomach pain, headaches) because of the stigma attached to emotional problems in some cultures. Cultures closely tied to religion or the spiritual world may emphasize spiritual problems, (e.g. feeling they are not right with God or the universe) rather than emotional problems.

Age

• Depression in adolescents can be hard to recognize because their sadness and hopelessness can be masked by boredom or apathy-lacking interest in things and not caring. They also may act out more, or have physical complaints.