1/Important issues are coming up here, so I thought I'd tell you some of the things I know. What leads to suicide, and how can we prevent it? Occasionally suicide is related to situational factors, but most people who attempt or complete suicide have a mental illness. The... https://twitter.com/benjamminlester/status/1288427859003023360

2/major killers are chronic depression, bipolar disorder, and schizophrenia, all of which can take people into states where they will take their own lives. That's not saying that stress doesn't matter, as a key element in managing a mental illness is managing stress - a change...

3/in routine, a death in the family, a new job, can be deadly. Mental illness not only kills, but it exacerbates income inequality. Many of our homeless people are mentally ill, and mental illness often coexists with substance abuse, including opioid addiction. But, mental...

4/illness knows no boundaries. It doesn't care what your wealth or income is, whether you have a PhD in economics or an 8th grade education. Most people know it exists somewhere in their own extended families, but we don't talk about it a lot. My mother had bipolar disorder...

5/but she didn't tell her own sisters what was going on in her life, at least in terms of mental health. For people working in education - or anybody, for that matter - it's important to know where people can go to get help if they need it. In the US, NAMI https://www.nami.org/Home 

6/is an important resource. They have support groups for people with mental illness, and for the families of people with mental illness, and are a very useful source of information. Helping a family member or friend in need may involve knowing the law, and knowing your way...

7/around the health care system. So be prepared. Our students are at a particularly vulnerable stage in their lives - both graduates and undergraduates. Onset for many people can be late teens or early twenties. Watch for changes in behavior. Chronic depression is very...

8/debilitating - at worst, people with it can have a hard time performing basic functions and organizing their thoughts. Bipolar disorder has the depression, but also periods of mania. Hypomania can be a highly productive state, but can advance into more severe mania or...

9/psychosis, which is highly disordered. Schizophrenia can come with delusions, psychotic breaks, etc. But that's only a rough outline. Mental illness can be very difficult to diagnose and treat, but many people can live highly productive lives with it if they get treated,...

10/and comply with the treatment, which is another issue. On campus, find out what facilities are available, so you know where to send students if you encounter someone in trouble. Typical student health services have psychiatrists. For a person who is suicidal, you need to...

11/act quickly, as the best place for the person may be in the hospital, at least temporarily. Having suicidal thoughts is bad. Having a plan for how to carry it out is worse, and requires immediate help.