Seung-Hui Cho was different from his classmates at Virginia Tech.

Students said he wasn't outgoing, and he refused to talk. Professors said his writings were dark and dwelt on violence.

Yet at colleges everywhere there are students who fit that description. Some are moody post-adolescents, testing the waters of adulthood and stretching the boundaries of social acceptance. Others are on the edge, capable of hurting themselves, or in Cho's case, others, too.

The hard part especially on campuses with tens of thousands of students is figuring out which is which.

It's not always easy finding the disturbed or dangerous student, university officials say, but it's possible to separate the moody artists from the truly disturbed.

Colleges often provide at least some level of training for the people who work most closely with students resident advisers and professors. They are told to watch for signs of depression and anxiety, including growing isolation, excessive absences or other behavior problems. And they are provided with numbers for college counseling centers.

The key is recognizing when students might need counseling and then encouraging them to go, said Alan Goodwin, director of student counseling services at California Lutheran University in Thousand Oaks.

"We don't want faculty members or other students to feel they need to be diagnosing difficulties," Goodwin said. "But we do know that the vast majority of students having difficulties do not make the choice to come to counseling. So it's important for faculty and students to be another set of eyes and ears."

On its Web site, CLU provides recommendations on referring a student to counseling. It also allows students to do self-assessments involving such issues as depression, anxiety and unhealthy eating patterns.

At CSU Channel Islands in Camarillo, the counseling center is printing a guidebook for faculty and staff members to help them recognize a student who is severely troubled.

Help can't be forced

Because most college students are legal adults, they can't be forced to go to counseling, said Alan Pasternak, coordinator of personal counseling services at CSU Channel Islands. "But we will strive to do whatever it takes."

Students who go for counseling might be prescribed medication or psychotherapy, Pasternak said, and if they're lonely or feeling isolated, they might be encouraged to join a campus club or organization.

Before coming to Channel Islands, Renny Christopher was an English professor at another CSU campus. She's had students angry at her over a grade, she said, but never one she thought was prone to violence.

On the other hand, when she learned that one of her students was being beaten by her husband, she walked that student over to the counseling center.

"The advice I've always been given is that when students have problems beyond academics, don't engage them refer them to counseling," said Christopher, who is now interim associate vice president for faculty affairs.

At UC Santa Barbara, Dean of Students Yonie Harris has read the violence-filled essays of creative students striving for shock value. And she remembers the mentally ill freshman who drove a car six years ago down the sidewalk of the adjacent student community, Isla Vista, killing four people.

Since the 2001 incident, Harris said, the university has become even more vigilant in identifying students who need help. But that requires enough counselors and services, she said.

Counseling staffs are small

CLU recently opened a counseling center with Goodwin, four part-time predoctoral interns and a postdoctoral fellow who works four days a week.

Channel Islands has Pasternak and a part-time predoctoral intern. The center plans to hire another part-time intern this fall and is considering hiring another therapist, Pasternak said.

"Our staff is adequate to deal with crisis, safety, those types of issues," he said. "Whether we can give the amount of services I would like at most universities there is understaffing of counseling personnel."

Providing counseling has become a significant issue for higher education as students with complicated and serious mental health histories are increasingly showing up at college campuses, in part the result of the stabilizing effects of prescription drugs.

"Modern medications have made it possible for students with rather severe psychological problems to be successful in high school and go to college," Harris said. "It's a tremendous challenge across the nation for universities to have sufficient staff and services available to meet the growing demand."

Every year, UC Santa Barbara's faculty and staff members are given a booklet, Responding to Distressed Students, which outlines behavior or other signs to look for in the individuals. Phone numbers of administrators, counselors and a social worker are included.

The social worker is especially critical in helping to discern a creative student from a safety risk. The social worker could contact friends, dorm staff or teachers to get a complete picture of the student.

If there's a problem, university officials convene a small group to assess matters a meeting that can be held within an hour, depending on the situation.

The student's family could be called, a referral made for mental health services, or in extreme cases, the student could be asked to leave or be expelled.

Staff writer Jean Cowden Moore contributed to this report.