Mental Health First Aid — Proficiency Exam

15 questions · pass with 50%

1. A colleague tells you they have felt hopeless for a month. As a mental health first aider, your role is to:
Work out which specific disorder they have so you can tell them what it isOffer initial support, listen, and help them connect with appropriate professional helpDesign a six-week coping programme for them to followWait until they explicitly ask you for help before saying anything
2. Which phrasing best reflects non-stigmatising language?
She is bipolar and has been since her twentiesHe committed suicide last yearShe has bipolar disorder and has been managing it since her twentiesHe is an addict who relapsed again
3. Which combination best helps you judge whether ordinary stress has become something that needs more support?
The person's age, gender and job titleHow dramatic their outward behaviour looksWhether they already have a diagnosis on recordHow long it has lasted, how intense it is, and how much it disrupts daily life
4. Why does stigma matter to a mental health first aider?
It stops mattering once someone is genuinely unwellIt mainly affects how clinicians write their notesInternalised stigma is a major reason people delay or avoid asking for helpIt only matters in workplaces that have a formal mental health policy
5. Which of these falls outside a mental health first aider's role?
Asking someone directly whether they are thinking about suicideTelling someone which medication is likely to help themSitting with someone while they phone a crisis lineSaying you have noticed a change and asking how they are doing
6. Which of these best suggests low mood needs more than everyday support?
Feeling sad for two days after a disappointmentLow mood plus loss of interest in almost everything, most of the day, for over two weeksBeing short-tempered during one unusually stressful weekCrying at a funeral
7. Someone is hyperventilating, says their chest is tight and believes they are dying. You are fairly sure it is a panic attack. Your best immediate response is to:
Tell them to calm down and that there is nothing to worry aboutLeave them alone in a quiet room to recoverHave them breathe into a paper bag until it passesStay with them, use short calm sentences, name it as a panic attack and say it will pass
8. This is the first time the person has ever had symptoms like this, and they have chest pain. What should you do?
Treat it as a possible medical emergency and get urgent medical helpAssume panic, since panic attacks are very commonWait half an hour to see whether it settles by itselfTake them for a walk outdoors to shake it off
9. Someone tells you they were assaulted last week. Which response fits mental health first aid?
Ask them to describe exactly what happened step by step to get it out of their systemAvoid mentioning it at all in case you upset themSay you are glad they told you and that they do not have to describe any of it unless they want toReassure them they will be completely over it within a couple of weeks
10. Which reply is most likely to shut a depressed person down?
That sounds exhausting. How long has it been like this?Try to look on the bright side — other people have it much worseI am really glad you told meYou do not have to explain it well for me to take it seriously
11. Someone has been drinking heavily and has also taken sedative tablets. They are breathing slowly and you cannot properly wake them. You should:
Let them sleep it off and check on them in the morningGive them strong coffee and a cold shower to bring them roundCall emergency services immediately, stay with them and place them on their sideWalk them up and down until they are more alert
12. Someone tells you with total conviction that their neighbours are broadcasting their thoughts. The most helpful response is to:
Lay out the evidence that this cannot possibly be happeningAgree that it is happening so they feel supportedChange the subject to something more cheerfulSay you cannot hear it yourself but you believe they can, and ask how frightening it feels
13. When someone is agitated and highly distressed, which approach lowers the risk?
Several people talking at once so they know they are supportedOne person speaking slowly in short sentences, keeping a comfortable distance and leaving a clear exitStanding close and holding their arms to steady themRaising your voice so you are definitely heard
14. A friend has become very restrictive about food and avoids eating with other people. Which comment is safest?
You are looking much healthier latelyYou have lost so much weight — are you actually eating?I have noticed you seem anxious around meals and leave straight after. I am worried about youLet us agree you will finish everything on your plate tonight
15. Someone who drinks heavily every day tells you they will stop completely tomorrow, on their own. What is the responsible thing to say?
That stopping suddenly is the safest approach and they should go aheadThat abrupt withdrawal from heavy alcohol use can be medically dangerous, so they should get medical advice on stopping safelyThat they should switch to something else insteadThat they should quietly halve their intake and tell nobody

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