How Informed Are you?

There is nothing better to test one’s knowledge with than a quiz. Below are 15 questions regarding mental health that will test your knowledge and may even surprise you a little! Have a go…

Question 1: How many Australians will experience a mental illness in their lifetime?

a) 20%

b) 35%

c) 3%

d) 18%

Question 2: What is the most common mental health condition in Australia?

a) Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)

b) Depression

C) Anxiety

d) Schizophrenia

Question 3: On average, how many women and men will experience depression at some point in their lives?

a) 1 in 10 women and 1 in 20 men

b) 1 in 4 (both men and women)

c) 1 in 5 women and 1 in 8 men

d) 1 in 10 women and 1 in 5 men

Question 4: The first step in the Mental Health First Aid Action Plan is ...

a) Encourage the person to get appropriate professional help

b) Listen non-judgmentally

c) Approach the person, assess and assist with any crisis

d) Give support and information

Question 5: All of the following are main factors to be taken into account when assessing risk of suicide in people experiencing psychotic symptoms EXCEPT...

a) Depression

b) Socioeconomic status

c) Drug misuse

d) Poor adherence to medication

Question 6: Which of the following in INCORRECT?

a) An Australian national survey found that in 2008, 1.1% of people aged 10 or older had engaged in non-suicidal self-injury in the past month

b) The same survey found that 3% had done so at some point in their life

c) Of the people who self-injured in the past month, 61% had a mood disorder

d) 58% of those who injured themselves in the past month had an anxiety disorder

Question 7: Which of the following is CORRECT?

a) People are born with mental illnesses

b) People with mental illnesses are usually dangerous

c) Mental illnesses are a form of intellectual disability or brain damage

d) Stigma is one of the biggest problems for people with mental illness

Question 8: What is psychosis?

a) A general term used to describe a mental health problem in which a person has lost some contact with reality

b) A general term used to describe a person exhibiting signs of craziness

c) A form of psychotherapy

d) A term used to describe what happens during a drug overdose

Question 9: What percentage of the Australian population aged between 16 and 85 have anxiety?

a) 14.4 %

b) 11.6 %

c) 15.3 %

d) 18.9 %

Question 10: Types of Anxiety disorders include all of the following EXCEPT:

a) Panic disorder

b) Generalised anxiety disorder

c) Agoraphobia

d) Post-accident stress disorder

Question 11: Types of psychotic disorders include all of the following EXCEPT:

a) Schizophrenia

b) Drug-induced psychosis

c) Bipolar disorder with psychosis

d) Depression

Question 12: Regarding suicide:

a) A national Australian survey found that 3.2% of Australians aged 16-85 had attempted suicide at some time in their life

b) In 2012, suicide took the lives of 1,134 Australians

c) The amount of people dying from suicide is almost equal to the number of people dying from motor vehicle accidents in Australia.

d) Males account for 55% of suicides

Question 13: Three key actions for helping a suicidal person include all of the following EXCEPT:

a) If you think someone may be suicidal, ask them

b) If you think someone is suicidal, don’t directly ask them about it – it is safer just to tell someone else about it

c) If someone says they are suicidal, do not leave them alone

d) If someone is suicidal, link them with professional help

Question 14: There is good evidence for the effectiveness of all of the following psychological therapies for depression EXCEPT:

a) Calming psychotherapy

b) Mindfulness based cognitive therapy

c) Cognitive behaviour therapy

d) Reminiscence therapy

Question 15: Signs of a panic attack include all of the following EXCEPT:

a) Chest pain or discomfort

b) Symptoms peaking within 20 minutes

c) Abdominal distress or nausea

d) Feelings of unreality or being detached from oneself

End of the quiz! Check out the answers below and tell us how you went! Did any of the answers shock you or challenge your understanding?

ANSWERS:

1 a

2 c

3 c

4 c

5 b

6 b – The correct answer is 8.1%!

7 d - Vulnerability to some mental illnesses, such as bipolar mood disorder, can run in families. However other people develop mental illness with no family history. People with a mental illness are rarely dangerous. Even people with very severe mental illness are rarely dangerous when given the appropriate treatment and support.

8 a

9 a

10 d – Should be, Post-traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)

11 d

12 a – In 2012, suicide took the lives of 2,535 Australians. The number of people dying from suicide is MORE than the number of deaths due to motor vehicle accidents! Males account for 75% of suicides.

13 b

14 a

15 b - Symptoms peak within 10 minutes

References

Beyond Blue. The Facts [Internet]. Hawthorn, West Victoria (Australia): Beyond Blue (AU); 2016 [cited 2016 May 25]. Available from: https://www.beyondblue.org.au/the-facts

Department of Health. Myths, misunderstandings and facts about mental illness [Internet]. Canberra, ACT (Australia): Commonwealth of Australia; 2016 [cited 2016 May 25]. Available from: http://www.health.gov.au/internet/publications/publishing.nsf/Content/mental-pubs-w-whatmen-toc~mental-pubs-w-whatmen-myth

Kitchener BA, Jorm AF, Kelly CM. Mental Heath First Aid Manual. 3rd ed. Melbourne: Mental Health First Aid Australia; 2013.