How much do you know about mental health? – Take this mental health quiz

How much do you know about mental illness?  If we are to defy mental illness, defy stigma, and spread the word, we got to know our stuff, ah?  This is a lighthearted quiz, a fun way of learning!

Take this Mental Health quiz 

1. Mental illness does not affect children
   True/False
2. Mental illness can in some cases be classified as a disability
   True/False
3. Men are more likely to be treated for mental illness than women              
   True/False
4. People diagnosed with schizophrenia are violent and dangerous                
   True/False
5. People challenged with mental illness have a low intelligence
   True/False
6. Mental illness is a serious condition
   True/False
7. Self harm is just a phase and can pass after a while                                      
   True/False
8. Eating disorders only affect female
   True/False
9. Caregivers such as family/friends of those challenged with mental illness are strong people and can deal with their loved ones unaided
   True/False
10. You don’t have to be thin or fat to have an eating disorder
    True/False

Here are the answers…Scroll down!

1. Mental illness does not affect children
   False
   About half of mental disorders begin before the age of 14 (WHO)
2. Mental illness can in some cases be classified as a disability
   True
   Depression for example is the 2nd biggest cause of disability in the world (Dr Ferrari, University of Queensland of Population Health).  When mental illness affects day to day life, it is a disability.
3. Men are more likely to be treated for mental illness than women
   False

4. People diagnosed with schizophrenia are violent and dangerous
   False
   Studies show that people are violent towards those challenged with mental illness than the other way round!  If they are violent it is often to themselves. 

5. People challenged with mental illness have a low intelligence                        
   False
   Many of the inventions we enjoy today are from geniuses and highly intelligent people who were mentally ill.  E.g. Einstein! 

6. Mental illness is a serious condition
   True
   Mental illness is serious and that is why we must stop the stigma and discrimination which does not help in getting people to seek treatment.  In some cases mental illness that is undiagnosed, can lead to death e.g. suicide, harm that leads to accidental death

7. Self harm is just a phase and can pass after a while
   False
   Self harm is a sign that something is wrong and the individual is trying to cope by harming themselves.  For someone to stop self harming they need to find a way of coping (or overcoming) the distress.
8. Eating disorders only affect female
   False
   Men can be affected with eating disorder too. Millions are affected too!
9. Caregivers such as family/friends of those challenged with mental illness are strong people and can deal with their loved ones unaided 
   False
   Caregivers need support.  They need encouragement, lots of it.  They need to also take care of their own health including their mental health!

10. You don’t have to be thin or fat to have an eating disorder
    True
    Some people are unwell even at ‘healthy’ weights.  You don’t have to be thin to have a serious eating disorder.  Eating disorder is not about weight.

 How much do you know about mental illness?  Do you know how the word shrink came about?  Go to Did you know page for this and other interesting stuff!

About The Author

Zoe

Zoe met Eze (Chuck) in the 14th year of what turned out to be an 18 year ‘journey’ with mental illness. They got married less than a year of meeting with Zoe fully knowing Chuck had a diagnosis of mental illness. In the 18th year, Chuck defied the odds of mental illness. A consultant psychiatrist signed him off the mental health system with a bill of NO MENTAL ILLNESS. The consultant was so amazed by Chuck’s astonishing recovery that he even questioned how Chuck was diagnosed with mental illness all those years before, in the first place! Today Chuck is free from medication, its dependency and hospitalizations. Zoe’s award nominated book, DEFYING THE ODDS, chronicles the highs and ‘lows’ of this journey. Zoe, often writing from the standpoint of a caregiver, clearly understands that mental illness does not only affect an individual challenged with the disease, but also families, marriages and society as a whole.

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