NAMI-GC College Outreach Program
Questions about NCCOP? Want to help? Contact nccop@namigc.org.
For more information, referrals, support, and education about serious mental illness, call NAMI of Greater Chicago at (312) 563-0445, or visit the NAMI of Greater Chicago website, namigc.org.
If you are concerned for the safety or wellbeing of anyone, yourself included, you should talk to a mental health professional, school administrator, campus safety officer, or the police immediately. Please note that some campus police and Chicago police have received training in de-escalating mental health crises. These officers are called CIT (Crisis Intervention Team) officers, and you can consider requesting them when you call 911.
In all cases, it is vital to ensure that your child or friend gets the help they need and that they or others are not harmed, and any threat of harm is important enough to be listened to. A common myth is that when people talk about committing suicide or hurting others, they are only doing it to “get attention.” Absolutely every mention of committing suicide or hurting someone else—even if it occurs often—should be taken seriously, and professionals should be immediately informed.
Ultimately, it is better to lose the temporary confidence of your child or friend by breaking a secret, than it is to permanently lose them or another person.