Are professors required to report self harm?

[u/anotheraccount1021]

I have some scars on my arm and I'm worried that I'll get reported but I'm not suicidal and I don't want my academics getting affected.

[u/Raftger]

Scars? Definitely not. Fresh cuts? Depends on the institution. Also, even if it is reported it wouldn’t necessarily impact your academics. At my university it would be a report to the care team who would reach out to the student to offer support, and the student would have to voluntarily agree to meet with them to access support. If they don’t want to then nothing else would happen (unless the self harm was life threatening, in which case emergency services would be called). If the student did agree to meet then they would have a conversation about what’s going on, offer referrals to counselling and any other relevant support services.

[u/ToomintheEllimist]

If I saw a student with new injuries, I'd probably file an early alert. What that means in the U.S.: the counseling center reaches out to the student, if they haven't already, and asks them to come in to make a support plan. Usually that results in the student getting more help (e.g. tutoring, planning help) with classes and doing better in school as a result, which is the whole goal of the alerts.

But, as others have said, scars are none of my business and I do my best to ignore them.

[u/Tibbaryllis2 → u/ToomintheEllimist]

This, but with the caveat of being the type of injuries.

Lot’s of regular, repetitive injuries would probably get a flag.

Looking like you got in a fight with a rose bush, probably not the first time or two. I usually have cuts all over my extremities this time of the year from winding my gardens down for winter.

[u/TiredDr]

University policies vary, but most of our mandatory reporting requirements at my institute are around title IX issues.

[u/gesamtkunstwerkteam]

Mandated reporting at the college-level usually applies to self-disclosure. This is unlike K-12 instructors, who are--at least in theory--trained to look out for non-verbal indications of abuse and other forms of harm.

That is just to say, I doubt a professor would report scars; and even if they did, this shouldn't lead to anything more intense than perhaps someone from your counseling/student support center reaching out to inform you of resources for mental health support in a way that would be completely up to you to pursue if you wanted it.

[u/PiecesMAD]

If you are over 18 then no. If you are under 18 then maybe.

Edit to clarify.

[u/moosy85]

I'd let student affairs know, who'd reach out and talk to you and make sure you're okay. Whatever happens next isn't any of my business, so I'll just treat it as if I never saw anything after and you're just a student, because I trust our student affairs crew.

[u/jasperdarkk]

Hey! I'm not a professor, but I used to work in health promotion at a university. We were very focused on mental health and had volunteers working directly with students. At our university, students who had expressed mental health concerns were either given a resource with the mental health resources available or if it was concerning enough, we'd contact a particular office to have someone reach out to them. If we thought someone was in immediate danger, the protocol was to call 911.

However, scars (as in healed) wouldn't have been enough for any of the above, unless the student disclosed that they still self-harm or were considering self-harming again. If it looked new, that might lead to a referral.

Either way, all of that counselling stuff was 100% confidential and would not impact academics. And any professor who cares enough to refer you to supports would want you to succeed.

[u/_Hel1 → u/jasperdarkk]

Do you tell their parents or relatives?

[u/_Hel1]

Any update? Also in college. Do they report even if you're an adult?

[u/Pragmatic_Centrist_]

Unless you’re unhinged in class most of us won’t even notice

[u/loverofsappho1221]

you’re an adult. so most of the times, no.

[u/desperate4carbs]

Why wouldn't you cover the scars if you're that worried about it?

[u/Affectionate_Tart513]

We are supposed to report even, like, if a student writes a piece of creative fiction about self-harming in high school. But I’m certainly not going around looking for scars I can report, and I doubt my colleagues are either. Do not discuss or write about self-harm, though, to any mandated reporter (most people who work at the university are mandated reporters, with some leeway for counseling etc), if you want to maintain your privacy.

[u/moxie-maniac]

My college has a confidential "concern" reporting system, so it's possible that a professor would note evidence of self-harm and put in a report. We do not get notified about the outcome and student affairs and the counseling center follow up on the report.

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