Psychology · Unit 12
Mental Health and Disorders
Mental health and common disorders
Mental health is not the absence of difficulty, and the line between ordinary distress and a disorder is drawn by degree, duration and interference with living.
The unit covers what mental health is, anxiety, depression and mood disorders, other common conditions, and stigma and seeking help.
This unit breaks down into 23 short steps and 120 questions, starting at difficulty 1 and building to 5. Below you can see exactly what it covers, how the path is structured, and worked examples with explanations.
- Steps
- 23
- Questions
- 120
- Difficulty
- 1-5
What this unit covers
- Stigma and Getting Help
- Anxiety
- Other Common Disorders
- What Mental Health Is
- Depression and Mood
Where this fits
Follows Motivation and Emotion. Leads into Therapy and Treatment.
Where people slip
Diagnostic categories are working tools, not natural kinds. They get revised between editions of the manuals, which is a normal feature of the field rather than a scandal.
How the unit is structured
Mental Health and Disorders runs as 23 short steps that unlock in order. 17 are practice rounds and 6 are challenge rounds that pull together everything before them. Questions start at difficulty 1 and climb to 5 as you progress.
Challenge rounds
Example questions
30 real questions from this unit, with the answer and the reason behind it, grouped by what they practise. There are 120 in the unit altogether.
Anxiety
- Fill the blankLevel 1
1. Anxiety is a feeling of ____ or unease about what might happen.
- worrycorrect
- joy
- hunger
- sleepiness
Anxiety centers on worry about the future or possible danger.
- Multiple choiceLevel 1
2. What is anxiety?
- A feeling of worry, fear, or unease
- A feeling of great joy
- A type of food
- A kind of muscle
Anxiety is a feeling of worry, fear, or unease, often about something that might happen.
- True or falseLevel 1
3. A little anxiety before a test or a big event is normal and common.
Answer: True
Feeling some nerves before big moments is normal and can even help us stay alert.
- Choose all that applyLevel 2
4. Which of these can be signs of anxiety? Choose all that apply.
- Feeling worried or on edgecorrect
- A racing heartbeatcorrect
- Trouble relaxingcorrect
- Suddenly growing taller
Anxiety often brings worry, a racing heartbeat, and trouble relaxing.
- Odd one outLevel 2
5. Which of these is NOT usually a feeling linked to anxiety?
- Calm relaxationcorrect
- Worry
- Nervousness
- Unease
Calm relaxation is the opposite of anxiety, while worry, nervousness, and unease all commonly come with it.
- Guess the numberLevel 4
6. Panic attacks usually reach their peak within about how many minutes?
Answer: 10 minutes
Panic attacks typically build fast and peak within roughly ten minutes.
Depression and Mood
- Fill the blankLevel 2
7. Depression is a type of ____ disorder.
- moodcorrect
- memory
- hearing
- muscle
Depression is classed as a mood disorder because it deeply affects how a person feels over time.
- Multiple choiceLevel 2
8. Depression is best described as:
- A mood disorder with lasting sadness and loss of interestcorrect
- A short bad mood that passes in an hour
- A type of physical exercise
- A kind of healthy diet
Depression is a mood disorder involving lasting sadness and loss of interest, not just a brief bad mood.
- Odd one outLevel 2
9. Which of these is NOT a common sign of depression?
- Bursting with energy all daycorrect
- Low energy
- Loss of interest
- Lasting sadness
Depression usually lowers energy, so bursting with energy all day is not a typical sign.
- Choose all that applyLevel 3
10. Which of these can be symptoms of depression? Choose all that apply.
- Low energycorrect
- Loss of interest in activitiescorrect
- Sleeping too little or too muchcorrect
- Sharper concentration than usual
Low energy, loss of interest, and sleep changes can all be symptoms of depression.
- Match the pairsLevel 3
11. Match each term to its meaning.
Answer: Fatigue = Low energy; Insomnia = Trouble sleeping; Anhedonia = Loss of interest or pleasure; Low mood = Feeling down and sad
Each term names a specific experience that can occur in depression.
- Guess the numberLevel 4
12. A major depressive episode is diagnosed when core symptoms last at least how many weeks?
Answer: 2 weeks
The DSM-5 sets a minimum of two weeks for a major depressive episode.
Other Common Disorders
- Fill the blankLevel 1
13. A very strong, lasting fear of a specific thing, like heights or spiders, is called a ____ .
- phobiacorrect
- habit
- hobby
- chore
A phobia is an intense, lasting fear of a particular object or situation.
- True or falseLevel 1
14. PTSD can develop after a person lives through a very frightening or traumatic event.
Answer: True
PTSD can appear after someone experiences or witnesses a traumatic event.
- Match the pairsLevel 2
15. Match each condition to a short description.
Answer: OCD = Unwanted thoughts and repeated actions; PTSD = Follows a traumatic event; Phobia = Strong fear of one specific thing; Bipolar disorder = Swings between high and low moods
Each of these conditions has its own main feature that helps tell them apart.
- Multiple choiceLevel 2
16. What does PTSD stand for?
- Post Traumatic Stress Disordercorrect
- Part Time Study Diploma
- Positive Team Sports Day
- Personal Task Success Diary
PTSD stands for Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, which can follow a very frightening event.
- Odd one outLevel 2
17. Which of these is NOT a mental health condition?
- The common coldcorrect
- OCD
- PTSD
- Bipolar disorder
The common cold is a physical illness, while OCD, PTSD, and bipolar disorder are mental health conditions.
- Sort into groupsLevel 2
18. Sort each sign under the condition it best matches.
Answer: Flashbacks after a scary event = PTSD; Nightmares about a trauma = PTSD; Checking the door many times = OCD; Unwanted repeated thoughts = OCD; Strong fear of heights = Phobia; Strong fear of dogs = Phobia
Flashbacks point to PTSD, repeated checking points to OCD, and a strong single fear points to a phobia.
Stigma and Getting Help
- True or falseLevel 1
19. Asking for help with your mental health is a sign of strength, not weakness.
Answer: True
Reaching out for support takes courage and is a sign of strength.
- Choose all that applyLevel 2
20. Which are kind ways to support a friend who is struggling? Choose all that apply.
- Listen without judgingcorrect
- Encourage them to talk to a trusted adult or professionalcorrect
- Spend time with themcorrect
- Tell them to just get over it
Listening kindly, spending time together, and encouraging help are all supportive.
- Fill the blankLevel 2
21. Treating someone unfairly because of a mental health condition is called ____ .
- stigmacorrect
- praise
- respect
- therapy
Stigma is unfair treatment or judgment based on a mental health condition.
- Multiple choiceLevel 2
22. What is stigma around mental health?
- Unfair negative judgment or shame about mental healthcorrect
- A type of medicine
- A kind of exercise
- A brain region
Stigma is unfair negative judgment or shame directed at people with mental health problems.
- Odd one outLevel 2
23. Which of these is NOT a kind and helpful response to someone who is struggling?
- Making fun of themcorrect
- Listening kindly
- Offering support
- Encouraging them to get help
Making fun of someone is unkind, while listening, supporting, and encouraging help are all kind.
- Type the answerLevel 2
24. Trained people who help others with their feelings and mental health through talking are often called ____ .
Answer: therapists
Therapists are trained professionals who help people through talking and support.
What Mental Health Is
- True or falseLevel 1
25. Everyone has mental health, just like everyone has physical health.
Answer: True
Mental health is something we all have, and it can be cared for at any age.
- Choose all that applyLevel 2
26. Which of these are part of a person's mental health and wellbeing? Choose all that apply.
- How we feel about ourselvescorrect
- How we cope with stresscorrect
- How we connect with other peoplecorrect
- The color of our hair
Mental health includes how we feel about ourselves, how we handle stress, and how we connect with others.
- Fill the blankLevel 2
27. Mental health includes our emotional, ____, and social wellbeing.
- psychologicalcorrect
- muscular
- financial
- dental
Psychological wellbeing, how we think and cope, is one part of mental health.
- Multiple choiceLevel 2
28. Good mental health mostly means being able to:
- Cope with everyday stress and enjoy lifecorrect
- Never feel sad or worried ever again
- Be happy every single second
- Avoid all problems forever
Good mental health means coping with everyday stresses and enjoying life, not never feeling any sadness.
- Odd one outLevel 2
29. Which of these is NOT a part of mental wellbeing?
- A broken bonecorrect
- How we feel about ourselves
- How we handle stress
- How we get along with others
A broken bone is a physical injury, while the others describe emotional and social wellbeing.
- Sort into groupsLevel 3
30. Sort each statement as a Myth or a Fact about mental health.
Answer: Everyone has mental health = Fact; Mental health problems are very rare = Myth; Help and treatment are available = Fact; You can just snap out of depression = Myth
Everyone has mental health and help is available are facts, while 'rare' and 'just snap out of it' are myths.
Where these questions come from. Each unit starts as a plan of the concepts it should cover and the difficulty it should span. Questions are written against that plan with AI assistance, then checked by a validator that rejects anything without a single defensible answer, an explanation, or plausible wrong options. How we write questions sets out the whole process, and corrections are fixed in the bank and reach the site and the app the same day.
How you practise
This unit mixes 9 different question formats, so you are recalling and applying rather than recognising the same layout every time.
- Choose all that apply
- Fill the blank
- Guess the number
- Match the pairs
- Multiple choice
- Odd one out
- Sort into groups
- True or false
- Type the answer
Practise Mental Health and Disorders
120 questions across 23 steps. Start with step one and crawl at your own pace.
Play this unitMore units in Psychology
- What is Psychology?What psychology studies and why we behave
- Feelings and EmotionsBasic emotions and how we handle them
- Senses and PerceptionHow we take in and make sense of the world
- MemoryHow we remember and why we forget
- Learning and HabitsHow we learn and form habits
- The Brain and BehaviorThe biology behind how we think and act
- How We GrowDevelopment across childhood and life
- Thinking and CognitionProblem solving, decisions and thinking traps