Mental Health Awareness Quiz

1. 1. A person without a mental health illness is always mentally healthy?

• True

• False

Answer explanation

Mental health is a state of functioning and well-being, whereby you can fulfil your own potential and cope with the normal stressors of your life, such as competitions, exams, or any other challenging situations. Therefore, mental health is more than just the absence of mental disorders.  

 

Mental well-being encompasses different dimensions, such as experiencing positive emotions, having a sense of purpose and meaning in life, and belonging to a community and having positive social relationships. At the same time, some people feel well even when experiencing mental health disorders. 

2. 2. Which of these factors can have an impact, positive or negative, on your mental health?

• Adequate recovery

• Engaging in social activIties

• Experiencing highly stressful situations on a regular basis

• Doing something meaningful or enjoyable

• All of the above

Answer explanation

All of these factors can have an impact on mental health:

• Adequate recovery (sleeping well, eating healthy, relaxation)

• Engaging in social activities

• Experiencing highly stressful situations on a regular basis

• Doing something meaningful or enjoyable

 

Just like physical health, mental health can change over time and is affected by many different factors.

Some of these factors may not be under your control (e.g. loss of a relative, genetics), but there are lots of things people can do to promote their mental health.
For example, you can pay attention to sleeping hygiene, healthy nutrition, recovery and relaxation.

Experiencing stressful situations regularly can have a negative impact on your mental well-being. However, some stressful events could also help you develop coping skills, and overcoming these situations can help build up confidence

Engaging in social activities (meeting friends, attending family events) and doing something meaningful or enjoyable (helping others, being creative) on a regular basis can also help to improve mental health. Nonetheless, if these relationships become toxic, they could negatively impact mental health.  

3. 3. I cannot be successful in sport, studies, work, life etc if I am experiencing a mental health issue

• False

• True

Answer explanation

Correct Answer: False

There exist plenty of examples of athletes who are capable of performing at a high level, even when experiencing mental problems (e.g. Simone Biles and Ian Thorpe winning an Olympic medal while struggling with anxiety or depression). This can also be the case for entourage members, who can be successful in their work at a high level, even when facing mental health problems.

Nevertheless, that does not mean that problems should be ignored as experiencing chronic issues will likely still negatively impact many areas of people's lives (e.g. Ian Thorpe struggled with retirement from sport, Simone Biles saying that she was still scared to do gymnastics).

4. 4. In the context of elite sport, it is better not to show if you are struggling with your mental health

• True

• False

Answer explanation

This statement is false.

 

Facing a mental health challenge does not mean that you are weak and are not able to face stressful situations on your own. The causes of mental illness are very different from person to person, and opening up to your peers or seeking help can help you not get overloaded. You do not have to deal with it on your own, sharing what you are going through might help you.

For athletes, sharing their difficulties can prevent them from getting injured or can help them relieve stress. 

5. 5. Based on a recent survey on athletes and support staff, what is the percentage who experienced mental ill health at least once in their lives?

• 5%

• 10%

• 25%

• 55%

Answer explanation

Around 25% of athletes and support staff members faced mental ill health at least once in their lifetime.

This data come from a survey that was distributed among athletes and support members in six European countries (Belgium, France, Netherlands, Spain, Sweden, and UK) during 2023. From the survey, it emerged that around 26% of athletes and 23% of support staff members experienced mental health problems that significantly affected their daily life at least once in their lifetime.

This shows that mental health-related challenges are quite common in the sport context and that athletes and support staff experience them at a very similar rate. 

6. 6. It is normal to experience negative emotions now and then or to feel down after a disappointing performance.

• True

• False

Answer explanation

TRUE! It is normal to experience negative emotions now and then or to feel down after a disappointing performance.

Experiencing negative emotions after a disappointing performance is normal. It can take a while to recover from it, especially if the expectations (personal or from the environment) were high. Allowing time to recover from a negative performance can help the athlete process what happened and get back on track and be fully involved again. 

Find a moment to talk with the athlete about how they experienced the situation, to reflect on how they can handle it the next time and offer help.

7. 7. Sometimes it's difficult to recognise when someone is struggling with their mental health, or just having a bad day. In which of the scenarios below should you take action?

• Their behaviours are intense: heavier than appropriate for the situation or what's 'normal' for that person

• Their behaviours are long-lasting; longer than appropriate for the situation

• Their behaviours have negative consequences for their routine, relationships or responsibilities

• All of the above

Answer explanation

All of the above

All these signals could mean that someone is facing mental health challenges.

It is important to be aware of possible signs of mental ill health. In practice however, things are not always black or white. They are often a bit more subtle and subjective, because what is an intense reaction for one person may be quite normal for another. Everyone is different and reacts differently.

It is important to watch for changes in someone's behaviour. If the three signals are not there, it does not mean that nothing is wrong.

If you are worried, it never hurts to take action. Better safe than sorry! Following your gut feeling is always a good idea.

8. 8. If you know someone who is struggling with their mental health, you can help them by...

• Listening to their needs and asking what you can do to help them

• Educating yourself on mental health

• Introducing them to options where they can seek treatment

• All of the above

Answer explanation

All of the above!

Listening and asking what they need, educating yourself on mental health, and providing some options where they can seek treatment are all good practices!

If you notice that someone cannot figure it out on their own, let them know that there are people who can offer professional help. You don't have to have all the answers. Sometimes helping someone along the way is the best thing you can do for them. Try to practice active listening, and showing them that you are open to listen to them.

9. 9. Which of these sentences are helpful things to say to someone who is experiencing mental ill-health? (Select all that apply)

• "Your feelings are valid"

• "I am here for you"

• "You will get over it"

• "You are not a burden"

• "Some people have it worse than you"

Answer explanation

Correct answers: These sentences are good things to say to someone who might be struggling with their mental health:

• “Your feelings are valid” is helpful, it encourages people to keep talking and validates their feelings and emotions.

• “I’m here for you” is helpful: with this, you encourage people to open up without forcing them.  

• “You are not a burden” is helpful, it makes people feel more comfortable in sharing because it reassures them that it is okay to unload and that talking about negative feelings is not bothering you. 

And here is why the other options are not helpful:

• "You’ll get over it” is not helpful because it minimises the problem.

• “Some people have it worse than you” This is not helpful. You are not taking them seriously and are minimising their problems.

10. 10. Dealing with mental ill health is like wearing an oxygen mask on an plane, help yourself first before helping others?

• True

• False

Answer explanation

True

If you don't look after yourself it can sometimes be difficult to be there for someone else. Looking after your mental health allows you to be in a position to help other. Knowing when something bothers you or when you are stressed is the starting point. Then having an understanding of how and where you can recharge. In other words: that you take good care of yourself.

How do you do that? When you think of taking good care of yourself, you may first think of taking a walk, exercising or listening to music or a podcast. But sometimes you may need to ask for help from a friend or family member, or maybe even a professional, and that's okay.

It's also okay to take a step back when you find yourself in a difficult situation. Ultimately, your own mental health is just as important as that of anyone else. You can only take good care of others if you also take good care of yourself.