As we see our students on a regular basis, we often can tell if they are struggling emotionally. Yet we’re not mental-health professionals. Most of us don’t have the training to know how to offer support and guidance to students who are suffering with mental-health issues. So how should we help? Anxiety, in particular, seems to be on the rise among the students. I recommend a three-step response. Step No. 1: Notice. Only a few students who have killed themselves had any interaction with their institution’s counseling service. I suggest we don’t have to diagnose a mental illness; we just have to recognize that someone is in distress. That’s not as difficult as it might seem. Distress might manifest itself as a downturn in a student’s hygiene. A student suddenly might start missing class, or failing to turn in assignments. Or someone who is normally alert and engaged might now be falling sleeping in class. Those signs don’t require a lot of training to spot — they just requ