If you have immediate safety concerns for yourself or others
Emergency Services | 911
Crisis Centre BC | 1 800 784 2433
Campus Security | 604 822 2222
Counselling Services | 604 822 3811
Student Health Service | 604 822 7011
Emergency Services | 911
Crisis Centre BC | 1 800 784 2433
Campus Security | 604 822 2222
Counselling Services | 604 822 3811
Student Health Service | 604 822 7011
University can be a challenging place and it is normal for many students to experience periods when they feel sad and discouraged. However, sometimes these feelings can be overwhelming.
Contact a mental health professional or call 1 800 784 2433 immediately if you or someone you know exhibits one or more of the following:
Contact a mental health professional or call 1 800 784 2433 as soon as possible if you or someone you know exhibits one or more of the following:
Reaching out for help is a sign of strength, not weakness. Reach out as early as possible.
If you are experiencing suicidal thoughts or feel worried that you may do something to harm yourself, tell someone immediately. Go somewhere safe where you can be with a trusted person or ask a friend or family member to stay with you. If you are not able to connect with a friend or family members, call 1 800 784 2433.
If you have anything that you’ve had thoughts about using to hurt or kill yourself with, get rid of them or give them to someone you trust.
Plan ahead for your safety when you have suicidal thoughts. Ask a trusted family member, friend, or counsellor to help you develop a step-by-step plan for how to keep yourself safe. If you feel unable to keep yourself safe, call 911 for immediate help and to be transported to the hospital.
Call crisis lines
Crisis lines are free and confidential 24-hour distress lines that provide non-judgmental support and resources:
Many people will deny that they need help, believing that they should be able to cope on their own, but this is a false and harmful belief; true strength is admitting that you need help.
It’s okay to ask someone if they are thinking about suicide. Asking about suicide and talking about difficult feelings is not going to increase the risk of someone attempting to harm themselves or dying by suicide.
The majority of people who feel suicidal exhibit warning signs. They want and need help.
Let them know that they are not alone, and that you have had difficulties too. However, you may not be able to understand what your friend is going through, so don’t simplify the problem by looking through the lens of your own experience.
If they refuse to see someone who specializes in mental health, encourage them to see a family doctor.
Offer to come to the appointment or just to the doctor’s office. If your friend or family member is uncomfortable or unable to communicate the problem, offer to do it for them.
Many people will deny that they need help, believing that they should be able to cope on their own, but this is a false and harmful belief; true strength is admitting that you need help.
Crisis lines are free and confidential 24-hour distress lines that provide non-judgmental support and resources:
Feeling suicidal is often a sign of depression, for which there are effective treatments. Suicidal thoughts can also be triggered by other emotional, personal problems and these too can be successfully addressed through appropriate professional care.
Depression is characterized by feelings of sadness and hopelessness as well as loss of interest or pleasure in ordinary activities that lasts for two weeks or more. It may also involve feeling irritable, guilty, or worthless. Other symptoms might include difficulty concentrating, difficulty sleeping, fatigue, and changes in appetite and weight. Depression is often brought on by a combination of stressors and difficulty coping with these stressors. In some cases, depression can also be, in part, biologically based.
Learn how to reach out to a friend, peer, student, family member, or colleague who may be experiencing suicidality.