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Troubled students tracked, treated
By Denise Dick
youngstowN
Youngstown State University police get a call about a student having a psychotic episode at the Center for Student Progress.
The young woman had been cutting her medication in half to make it last longer and started hearing voices and contemplating suicide.
On a separate date, police are dispatched to Bliss Hall on a report of a violent person. They find a man speaking incoherently and behaving maniacally, similar to someone under the influence of narcotics or suffering from mental illness.
They’re the kind of cases in which YSU’s Student Threat Assessment Team gets involved.
“We do have procedures in place that allow us to identify a student — or anyone else on campus — that may be exhibiting behavior [indicating] they may be a threat to themselves or others,” said Ron Cole, YSU spokesman.
STAT is a group of university staff members who offer resource information to faculty, staff and administrators who are dealing with students displaying problems such as disruptive, distressed or threatening behavior.
YSU Police Lt. Mike Cretella is a member of the team. Though procedures have been in place for several years, STAT became more formalized after the shootings at Virginia Tech, he said.
In April 2007, Seung-Hui Cho, killed 32 people and wounded several others at the school before killing himself.
“Depending on the severity of the situation, it would be reported to the [campus] police department directly or to the STAT team and at that time, either the police department or the team as a whole makes a determination of what needs to be done” to ensure the safety of that student and the campus community, Cole said.
STAT meets weekly to talk about students who have been brought to members’ attention.
“It could be a student’s behavior changing in the classroom — they’re doing well and then they start to suffer and fail, or they’re having outbursts in class,” Cretella said.
A police officer tries to get the student to talk about what changed or what problems he or she is having.
“If we believe that they are a danger to themselves or others, we have the authority to fill out what’s called a pink slip to take them to the hospital for treatment and evaluation,” the lieutenant said.
In other cases, the student may be referred to an on-campus counselor or to Turning Point Counseling for help.
“Our main concern is the students,” Cretella said. “We’re going to take care of that student to try to make sure they get the treatment that they need.”
Oftentimes, a mental illness manifests in an individual between the ages of 18 and 22. Those are the college years, Cretella pointed out.
The first thing an officer does upon arriving to a call involving a distressed student is to try to de-escalate the student’s behavior by speaking with him or her.
On the rare occasion that individuals refuse to get help, the university can remove them from campus and prevent them from returning until they get help, Cole said.
Such cases have occurred at YSU although rarely.
“It’s not routine,” Cole said. “It’s very much atypical.”
To come back to school, the student has to provide proof, such as a letter from his or her doctor or counselor, indicating they are being treated and following the doctor’s instructions.
In addition to his duties on STAT and as a police officer, Cretella serves on Mahoning County’s mental health board.
“We’re fortunate to have someone with his knowledge at YSU police,” Chief Jack Gocala said.
Toni Notaro, administrative director of the mental health board, said the board has many partnerships with YSU.
Crisis Intervention Team training is offered to police officers during a 40-hour session at the YSU Police Department.
“Unfortunately, untreated mental illness can sometimes lead to violence,” Notaro said.
The training teaches officers how to recognize the signs of mental illness and the best way to intervene, she said.
Notaro said that Ron Marian, mental health board director, views YSU students as the board’s responsibility regardless of where they live.
In 2008, the mental health board provided Mental Health Training and Awareness to university faculty and staff.
Both Marian and Notaro attributed the initiation of that program at YSU to Cynthia Anderson, who was vice president of student affairs at the time. Anderson is now YSU president, and the mental health officials say she continues to view such training as a priority.
Marian said the board’s relationship with YSU is unusual compared to many other communities.
“When I go to Columbus, people ask, ‘How did you do that?’” he said.