When severely depressed people are at their lowest of lows, they might look to suicide as the only way to escape their misery.

But taking one's life is never the only solution, says Sally Harvey, a psychologist and longtime director of the Academic and Staff Assistance Program at UC Davis. "I can't name one event in life in which you have only one option," she said.

Harvey and her colleagues endeavor to help people "discover" some of their choices. "You'd be surprised, once people know and believe they have other options, they do great things for themselves," she said.

Harvey's comments came in reaction to UC Santa Cruz Chancellor Denice Denton's death June 24 in San Francisco. The medical examiner's office there reported July 5 that the cause of death had not been determined, pending completion of the autopsy report. Medical Examiner Amy Hart said "suicide is part of what we are considering."

Denton, 46, an electrical engineer and a strong advocate for women and minorities in the sciences, had been Santa Cruz chancellor since February 2005. Her name surfaced in the UC executive compensation controversy, in connection with $600,000 in renovations to her campus home and the system's hiring of her longtime partner to a newly created position in the Office of the President.

"Suicide is not a respecter of age or socioeconomic status or even education," Harvey said. And therein lies a lesson for all people: "If you know it can happen to anyone, maybe you're more likely to call someplace like us for help."

For people in the Sacramento region, Denton's death called to mind the apparent suicide nearly 14 years ago of Marjorie Blaha, chancellor of the Los Rios Community College District, which today runs Sacramento City, American River, Cosumnes River and Folsom Lake colleges. The online publication InsideHigherEd.com reported last week that "experts on higher education could not think of other examples of a college president taking his or her own life."

Asked if university administrators were somehow more susceptible to depression and suicide, Harvey noted that "every profession has its own stressful events." Nationally, the Centers for Disease Control tallied 31,484 suicides in 2003, the most recent year for which CDC statistics are available.

Harvey said co-workers can help their colleagues who may be suffering from depression. There are warning signs: changes in productivity, less excitement and enthusiasm on the job, changes in eating habits that may lead to weight loss or gain, or giving things away.

"You might ask, 'Is something bothering you?' " Harvey said. Co-workers should not get involved in the specifics, or try to be counselors or confidantes. Instead, they should gently give advice about available resources, like the Academic and Staff Assistance Program. Help for students is available through Counseling and Psychological Services, or CAPS.

"Maybe you can even say, 'I'd be glad to walk you over there,' " Harvey said.

Co-workers who feel uncomfortable in this role should alert their supervisors. And co-workers should always go to supervisors if someone expresses suicidal thoughts or a desire to harm others.

UC Davis Provost Virginia Hinshaw, who had known Denton since their faculty days together at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, described her fellow scientist as "a private person," and wondered if that may have kept people from reaching out to her, to not "invade her privacy."

Yes, said Harvey, "privacy can give us excuses not to ask."

Which means that the more private you are, the more you may be on your own. "And, if you don't tell us that something is bothering you, we can't help," Harvey said.

Hinshaw said she last saw Denton the last week of May when provosts from around UC gathered for a meeting in Santa Cruz, and Denton hosted a dinner at her home. Hinshaw likes to ask people how they are "refreshing their souls," and she posed that question to Denton that night.

"She said she enjoyed walking her dogs on the beach," Hinshaw recalled. Denton had two dogs: Kazu, a border collie, and Billie, half border collie and half golden retriever.

Hinshaw described Denton as "unusually bright" and "extremely talented."

"She really had a passion for engineering and science," the provost said, with a knack for promoting those disciplines among students and the public.

Denton earned doctoral, master's and bachelor's degrees at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. She joined the Wisconsin faculty in 1987, received several teaching awards, and in 1996 became dean of the College of Engineering at the University of Washington.

Hinshaw noted that the UC Davis community had been talking about Denton's death, "and that's a good thing — because it reminds us to ask, Are we taking care of ourselves and each other, and creating the kind of environment that is supportive?"

Denton "made a lot of contributions," Hinshaw said. "Many people are successful because of the steps she took and the leadership she demonstrated.

"I just wish she could have seen her successes like we saw them, so that they would have fortified her."

People who visit the Academic and Staff Assistance Program first go through an assessment process, to determine their needs. The program offers short-term counseling for free; for long-term counseling, the program matches clients with outside providers, and helps clients navigate the insurance system. UC insurance co-payments range from zero to $15 for outpatient visits with network providers.

Harvey's quarterly Dateline column, "Challenges & Changes," always includes her telephone number and e-mail address, and usually an invitation to simply "stop in to see us."

"And we mean it," Harvey said.

"My main job is that when they walk out of this office, they have more hope than when they walked in."

IMPORTANT NUMBERS

For suicide prevention and mental health assistance, call the following:

• Academic and Staff Assistance Program -- 530-752-2727, 112 A St., Davis, just outside the campus's east entry gate
• Counseling and Psychological Services (for students) -- 530-752-0871, 219 North Hall

After business hours and on weekends, the Academic and Staff Assistance Program and CAPS switch on telephone recordings that give alternative numbers to call for 24-hour assistance. Here are some county and national numbers:

• El Dorado County -- 530-622-3345

• Placer County -- 530-886-5401 or 888-886-5401

• Sacramento County -- 916-368-3111

• Solano County -- 707-435-2140

• Yolo County -- 530-666-8515, 530-756-5000 or 888-965-6647

• National -- 800-SUICIDE (800-784-2433) or 800-273-TALK (800-273- 8255)