Practice Pathways for Graded Closed-Loop Intervention in Psychological Crises Among College Students: An Analysis of Three Typical Cases

Abstract

Psychological crises among college students are often characterized by concealment, cumulative stress, and sudden escalation. Single-session interviews, one-off referrals, or experience-based responses are therefore insufficient for systematic prevention and intervention. Based on three anonymized typical cases, this paper examines yellow, orange, and red risk levels and reconstructs a closed-loop intervention pathway consisting of multi-entry screening, structured assessment, graded intervention, and dynamic follow-up. The analysis suggests that yellow-risk students should be supported through preventive care, enhancement of counseling motivation, and consolidation of social support systems; orange-risk students require stronger identification of hidden warning signs, professional assessment, school-family-medical collaboration, and continuous monitoring; and red-risk students must be managed under the principles of life safety first, medical referral priority, and full-process risk control. The study further argues that psychological crisis intervention in higher education should not be treated as an isolated emergency response. Instead, it should integrate early risk identification, unified assessment criteria, risk-matched intervention strategies, clearly defined responsibilities, and continuous review and improvement. Such a framework can improve the standardization and practical effectiveness of warning, referral, intervention, and follow-up procedures for student psychological crises.