Youth Mental Health First Aid Training Assessment

Youth Mental Health First Aid – Post-Survey

Mental Health First Aid Quiz

Please circle the best answer.

1: One of your students was a victim of physical assault some years ago and has since been diagnosed with an anxiety disorder. You’re with her when she breaks into a sweat, doubles over as if in pain and starts to hyperventilate. Do you:

A) Move her to a quiet place, reassure her, and help her to slow her breathing.

B) Give her some time alone because giving her attention during these episodes will only encourage similar behavior in the future.

C)Take her somewhere quiet and help her calm down over a Diet Coke. Gently point out that her attacker is long gone and her fears are unfounded.

2: You notice that a family friend who is a High School Junior has been functioning less well as the school year progresses. At the beginning of the semester, she was vibrant and seemed to enjoy her classes. Now, she has clearly lost weight, seems depressed, has a hard time paying attention, expresses odd ideas sometimes when you talk with her, and seems to have lost her motivation. Do you:

A) Tell her she needs substance abuse treatment and you are sorry she succumbed to the drinking and drugs that are all too common in high school today.

B) Suggest that she get academic counseling or tutoring to help her get back on track.

C) Express your concern and offer to help her get an appointment with a counselor or other services after discussing the situation with her parents.

3: You have long suspected that a young man in your church youth group has been using marijuana and possibly drinking. Lately he has seemed preoccupied with both substances wearing pot leaf t-shirts, beer company hats, etc., as well as confused and anxious. In fact, he seems to have undergone a significant personality change. Do you:

A) Tell him you’re concerned about him and that you’ve noticed changes in his behavior. Ask him to talk with you about these changes.

B) Tell her to quit drinking because alcohol dulls your thinking while marijuana is a natural substance that doesn’t interfere with brain function.

C)Tell him that he has a drug problem and you cannot see him again until he has gotten it under control.

4: You are at a high school football game and excuse yourself to go get a hot dog. Near the restrooms you notice a young man ranting and raving about things that don’t appear to be real. You don’t recognize him and everyone around him seems a little frightened by his behavior. Do you:

A) Ignore him. He’s not your problem as long as he doesn’t come anywhere near you or your family. B) Assess the situation for risk of harm to yourself or others. If needed, encourage others not to be confrontational with him. If you feel safe and able to approach him non-confrontationally, ask if he’s okay and what help he might need. Consider notifying school personnel.

C) Approach him directly, standing squarely in front of him and making clear eye contact. Put your hand on his shoulder and be assertive, telling him that he needs to leave the area.

5: You are concerned about a family friend who is having a really hard time at school lately. Every morning he can hardly get out the door because his anxiety is so intense. When you talk with him he says that he is having trouble sleeping and worries all the time about school work, what the other kids think of him, and if he is safe in your town. Do you:

A) Ask him a bit about his diet and caffeine intake. Suggest that sometimes a little extra exercise, or even some yoga or meditation can help with anxiety. Suggest to him that if his anxiety persists, he can always talk to his mom and maybe go see someone at the health center.

B) Tell him that you understand exactly what he is going through. When you were a kid growing up on a military base in Japan you were afraid too, but one day your Dad shook you and told you to be a man. It was hard at first, but eventually your nervousness went away.

C)Tell him that it is obvious that he is suffering from Generalized Anxiety Disorder and the best thing for him to do is get some medication.

6: You are on Facebook one Sunday morning and click on a nice picture someone has tagged of your niece in Tampa. When you look below, you notice a long series of comments –a conversation really –between your niece and someone else. Seems someone needs to adjust their privacy settings! Your niece is pretty open in the conversation about being fed up with school and all the cliques, and wondering if they would even notice if she were to kill herself with the bottle of pills she has in her room right now. Do you:

A)Log off immediately – it is not your business what your sister’s kid is up to. Anyway, kids make jokes and threats all the time about this stuff.

B)Email your brother about it – tell him what you saw and suggest that he had better check up on her at some point this weekend.

C)Call your niece immediately on her cell phone, tell her what you overheard/saw, and tell her that you are concerned about her. Even though you are at home, use your own cell phone so you can use the land-line to call a hotline or even 911 if you have to.

7: Your son seems to have lost all pride in his appearance and enthusiasm for life. His speech is sluggish, he’s sad all the time and he’s recently given away several favorite possessions. Do you:

A)Ask if there’s anything he’d like to talk about and try to find out if he seems depressed or has had any thoughts about ending his life.

B)Keep the conversation light – avoiding any discussion of suicide or death – he is upset enough already and you wouldn’t want to put the idea in his head.

C)Tell him to snap out of it. He is lucky to have what he has. When you were a kid you didn’t have half the things he does and he should be grateful.

8: While you are all sitting around watching TV one weekend, you notice that a young friend of your daughter has some symmetrical scarring on the backs of his calves. Looks like from a knife, or possibly a sharp pointed object, like a needle. Although his pants usually cover them, when he crosses his legs some of the scars are visible.Do you:

A)Call his parents and notify them that their son is either a cutter, or worse, involved in some sort of scarification cult.

B)Ask your daughter later if she has seen these scars and if she has talked to him about it. Tell her a bit about non-suicidal self-injury, why some people might do it, and what kind of help might be available. Offer to talk to him if she would be more comfortable.

C)Point out the scars during a commercial break and ask him directly what they are from. Watch his face closely to see if he seems to be lying and call him on it.

9: You get along well with your little sister but her mood swings and love of partying are wearing thin. She can go without sleep for days and expects everyone else to do the same, coming up with poorly thought out projects and becoming annoyed at anyone less than enthusiastic about them. On other days she rarely leaves her house or says hello. Do you:

A)Try to catch her in one of her quieter moments and share with her that you’re concerned about her moods, encouraging her to see her physician and offer to go along if she wishes.

B)Distance yourself from her. She might be a lot of fun at times, but you shouldn’t invest time and energy in the relationship as her split personality is draining for both of you.

C)Be direct with her about her unrealistic projects and lifestyle. You can only help her by forcing her to confront her obvious mental illness.

10: When you see your niece at Thanksgiving she appears to have lost a great deal of weight. She says she is working on a project for school and takes her plate of turkey and trimmings to her room. You go up to see her later and notice she has not touched her dinner. Do you:

A)Compliment her on her self-control during such a high-calorie opportunity and tell her she looks great – encourage her to keep it up!

B)Engage her in conversation maybe asking how school is going. Mention that you notice her weight loss, are concerned, and tell her you’re there for her if there’s ever anything she wants to talk about.

C)You know she is a 4.0 student, so it’s ok to leave her alone to concentrate on her schoolwork.