Emergency Resources
If a situation is life-threatening, always call 911 or go to the nearest emergency room. Emergency rooms near campus:
- UW Hospital – 600 Highland Avenue
- Meriter Hospital – 202 S. Park Street
- St Mary’s Hospital – 707 S. Mills Street
The UW-Madison Police Department is a full-service law enforcement agency that safeguards and serves the campus community.
Lifelines
University Health Services
608-265-5600 (option 9) for 24-hour crisis
National Suicide Prevention Lifeline
800-273-8255 (TALK)
TTY: 1-800-799-4889 (4TTY)
Ayuda en Español: 888-628-9454
Veterans Suicide Prevention Lifeline
800-273-8255 (TALK) – select 1
Text message: 838255
The Trevor Project – LGBTQ Suicide Prevention
866-488-7386
Journey Mental Health Center – Madison
608-280-2600 – 24-hour crisis services
Crisis Text Line
Text message: 741-741
Trans Lifeline
877-565-8860
Community Mental Health Resources
Counseling Psychiatry Training Clinic provides confidential counseling services for individuals, families, adolescents and children. Services are provided on a sliding scale fee based on income.
The Family Center Community-based, affordable (scaled by income) state-certified outpatient mental health clinic and the training center for Edgewood College’s Marriage and Family Therapy Graduate Program.
Psychology Research & Training Clinic provides confidential psychotherapy and assessment services to individuals, families, and children from the UW and greater Madison community. PRTC is a fee-for-service clinic.
UHS Care Managers can provide support while you establish care with a community provider. Once connected, our Care Managers will follow up to see if your needs have been met, or if you need additional access to mental health services in the community.
Mental Health Services offers brief therapy and other mental health treatment to students on a limited basis in order to offer support and access to all UW-Madison students. For students needing long-term, urgent, or specialized treatment, UHS may suggest an outside community provider to better meet your needs.
UHS Care Managers can help you navigate insurance plans to understand your coverage and benefits for a particular mental health service or provider. If you don’t have insurance coverage in Madison, they may be able to help you obtain local coverage or identify low-cost/sliding fee scale providers. Additionally, Care Managers also can assist you in accessing transportation, financial help, food, housing, and academic resources to support your success as a student.
Campus Resources
UHS Mental Health Services offers no-cost services including individual, couple/partner, group counseling, campus-based programming, stress management, and psychiatry in addition to 24/7 crisis services.
UHS mental health providers understand the complexities of student life and offer an open, safe, and confidential environment to help students through issues that may interfere with their development, well-being, and academic productivity.
The Office of Student Assistance & Support provides a caring, unique environment for students across campus to seek assistance and support around a number of experiences listed on their website, including academic issues, bias incidents, and mental health concerns.
Drop-In Hours: Fall and Spring Semesters: Mon–Fri, 8:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.; Winter Break & Summer: Mon–Fri, 8:30-11:30 a.m. and 1–4 p.m.
Address: 70 Bascom Hall, 500 Lincoln Dr., 608-263-5700
The McBurney Disability Resource Center is the office for students with disabilities and classroom accommodations on the UW–Madison campus. McBurney works collaboratively with students and instructors to provide and support student accommodations.
Address: 702 W. Johnson St. Suite 2104, Madison; 608-263-2741
Suicide Prevention Training for UW Students
Foundations: Terminology
Suicide: Death caused by self-directed, injury-causing behavior that was intended to cause death.
Suicidal Ideation: thinking about, considering, or planning for suicide. See Now Matters Now for skills and support for coping through suicidal thoughts.
Suicide Attempt: Self-directed, injury-causing behavior that was intended to cause death, but may or may not have been fatal. See The Live Through This Project and Suicide Attempt Survivors, from the American Association of Suicidology
Self-Injury: Self-directed, injury-causing behavior intended to cause injury, but not death
Survivor of Suicide Loss: Someone who has experienced the death of another person by suicide. Support for survivors of suicide loss:
- Survivors of Suicide meets 2nd and 4th Tuesday of each month from 7-9 p.m., is an adult self-help group for those grieving the death of a loved one by suicide. These meetings are free of cost and co-facilitated by a survivor of suicide loss/volunteer and a mental health professional. Journey Mental Health Center (49 Kessel Court, Madison, WI 53711). New client services: 608-280-2720; General Phone Number: 608-280-2700
- Find a Support Group, American Foundation for Suicide Prevention
- Loss Survivors, Suicide Prevention Lifeline
- Suicide Loss Survivors, American Association of Suicidology
- I’ve Lost Someone, American Foundation for Suicide Prevention
- Survivors of Suicide Loss, Suicide Prevention Resource Center
Stigma: When we view another person in a negative way because of certain personal traits they have, behaviors they engage in, or experiences they have had.
- Personal, interpersonal, and societal
- Informs our actions
- We have the power to reduce stigma!
- Stigma Free, National Alliance on Mental Illness
- Mental health: Overcoming the stigma of mental illness, Mayo Clinic
Language that helps reduce the stigma around suicide
- “Died by suicide” (not “committed suicide”)
- “Fatal suicide attempt” (not “successful suicide”)
- “Nonfatal suicide attempt” (not “unsuccessful suicide”)
- “Someone who attempted suicide” (not “suicide attempter”; learn more about person-first language)
- “Shared thoughts of suicide” (not “threatened suicide”)
Recognize, Respond, Refer: Suicide Prevention Training for UW–Madison Students
The suicide prevention training builds capacity in UW–Madison students to intervene and offer support for their friends and peers. This multi-part program can be done at your own pace and includes modules on foundations, recognizing warning signs, responding effectively, referring to resources, and includes scenarios for practice. This training is not a form of counseling or support for students in distress.
To access suicide prevention training for UW–Madison Students, please visit Canvas to sign up. If you have questions or comments about the training, email suicideprevention@uhs.wisc.edu.
Additional Information on Suicide
There is a complicated relationship between mental health and suicide.
Remember
- When we work together to make change, suicide can be prevented.
- Asking someone directly about suicidal ideation can prevent suicide.
- When someone talks about suicide, we need to take them seriously – even when they are joking or intoxicated.
- People can threaten suicide as a form of emotional abuse. Read “Feeling Manipulated by Suicide Threats?”
National Institute of Mental Health
- Suicide is the 10th leading cause of death overall in the United States and the 2nd leading cause of death for people ages 10-34.
- Between 2001 and 2017, the total suicide rate increased 31% from 10.7 to 14.0 per 100,000 people.
National Survey on Drug Use and Health (SAMHSA, 2017)
- Suicidal Ideation in 2017
- 3% of adults in the United States had thoughts of suicide.
- Thoughts of suicide were highest among adults 18-25 years old.
- 6 million adults reported having serious thoughts about trying to kill themselves.
- Suicide Attempts in 2017
- 6% of adults in the United States attempted suicide in 2017.
- Suicide attempts were highest among adults 18-25 years old.
- 4 million adults made a nonfatal suicide attempt in the last year.