David Jobes, a suicidologist and psychology professor at Catholic University, spoke about ending stigmas associated with mental illness and treatment on Thursday at the Marvin Center.

Mental health has become a major focus on campus over the past year, after three student suicides in the spring and a suicide attempt last semester. These are some of the main points from the talk:

1. Some distress is normal

Jobes pointed out that distress is a “perfectly normal” occurrence for college students, though it can be more severe for some students. Suicide is the third-leading cause of death for people between the ages of 18 and 24, according to the National Alliance on Mental Illness.

Jobes said during his own college experience, he struggled as he adjusted to life at school.

“This is what I faced as a college student. I wasn’t clinically depressed, I know that now. I was in a funk,” he said. “But I overcame it, got my act together and made my way through college. I think that’s perfectly normal.”

2. More than just a ‘morbid topic’

Jobes, who has studied suicide for nearly 40 years, said his job is not just to focus on suicides that have occurred but to look at ways to be proactive and prevent suicide.

“It’s not really a morbid topic because we are so preoccupied with living and preventing suicides, and we know that we can prevent most suicides,” Jobes said.

3. The protective nature of college

He said being on a college campus, while it can present stresses, can also be helpful to a student’s mental health because of the resources available and the strength of the community.

“Those not in college have much higher rates of [suicide] completions than those on campus,” Jobes said.

But he also said it’s important for faculty and students to understand what they should do if they are concerned about another person’s mental health.

“Student want to act a junior therapists for their friends, but really the friend should bring them to a professional,” Jobes said.