105 104 Chapter Five: Supporting Students with Mental Health Difficulties Chapter Five: Supporting Students with Mental Health Difficulties Disseminating Information After the basic facts have been sorted out, any attempt to delay informing students will only encourage rumors, and the way that this information is disseminated is crucial. An effort should be made to contact those close to the deceased student and notify them about the death before any campuswide announcement is made, if one is deemed necessary. These include roommates, labmates, friends, and other sub-groups that the student might be a member of (e.g., sport teams, student societies). Face-to-face, and individual or small group meetings should be arranged to provide them with specific and accurate information, as well as to gauge their reactions and provide necessary assistance and support. The homogeneity of the group meetings should also be carefully considered. These people should be encouraged to limit early social media communication as any such communications could be insensitive and painful to the surviving family. “In the case of a possible suicide death within the university community, it is critical to first obtain confirmed and accurate information.” Verifying Death and Cause In the case of a possible suicide death within the University community, it is critical to first obtain confirmed and accurate information. Though it may not be possible to immediately ascertain all the details about the death, confirming as much information as possible is vital as speculations and rumors can aggravate emotional turbulence on campus. Therefore, no information should be released until circumstances of the death are confirmed by the appropriate authorities. And there are times that the family may want to keep the cause of death private, and they may need support in exploring the pros and cons of sharing the cause of death. Whether a campus-wide announcement about the suicide death should be made varies from case to case, depending on factors such as the connections and scope of influence of the deceased student, the preference of the surviving family, and the time of the year. If an official announcement is decided, a careful consideration in the level of details as well as how the information is conveyed is called for, because community anxiety may increase if information is too vague or limited, while the risk for copycats will increase if too much details (such as method of suicide) are highlighted or if the death is dramatized or romanticized. The most efficient strategy for providing details of the death is a written statement that can be distributed to everyone in the campus community. All electronic messages to the community should be shared with the assumption that the media may access and use the information. The statement should include factual information about the death (including acknowledgment that it was a suicide), condolences to the family, postvention services, such as plans to provide counseling and psychological support, information about funeral plans and any changes in school schedules over the coming days. Specific names, identity, or causes of death may not be necessary.
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