Mental Health Trivia

100+ Mental Health Trivia Questions & Answers

Mike Oberman

Updated: May 5th, 2025

Explore the important world of Mental Health Trivia! Test your knowledge on mental health awareness, common misconceptions, and the ways in which mental well-being impacts our lives. Dive into facts about mental health conditions, treatments, and the history of mental health care. Whether you're looking to raise awareness or expand your understanding, this trivia will challenge what you know and highlight the importance of mental health for everyone. How well do you understand the mind?

General Mental Health Trivia

Question: Which global org says mental health is a “state of well-being”?

Answer: World Health Organization (WHO)

Question: Which 3 things make up your inner peace trifecta?

Answer: Emotional, psychological, and social well-being

Question: What term covers your emotional, mental, and social health?

Answer: Mental health

Question: Trouble sleeping much? What early sign might be poking you?

Answer: Sleep irritation

Question: Who made “mental hygiene” a thing way back in the 1800s?

Answer: William Sweetser

Question: Who do you call when your brain’s not okay?

Answer: Mental health professionals

Question: What’s the “rulebook” for diagnosing mental disorders in the U.S.?

Answer: DSM-5

Question: Who started Mental Health America after surviving awful asylums?

Answer: Clifford Beers

Question: What symptom shows up when anxiety steals your appetite?

Answer: Lack of appetite

Question: Who led the fight for humane mental care in the 1800s?

Answer: Dorothea Dix

Question: What’s that “worry monster” in generalized anxiety disorder?

Answer: Excessive worry

Question: What’s the GPS that helps people find the right mental health support?

Answer: Care navigation

Question: What might it mean when your energy’s constantly on low battery?

Answer: Lack of energy

Question: What do we call the pros who help us talk it out?

Answer: Mental health professionals

Question: Which common stress-linked condition turns calm into chaos?

Answer: Generalized anxiety disorder

Question: What’s the main goal of Mental Health Awareness Month?

Answer: Raising awareness of mental health issues

Question: How many U.S. adults face mental illness? (Hint: it’s over a fifth!)

Answer: Over 22%

Question: What’s the mental wellness trio in the tripartite model?

Answer: Emotional, social, and psychological well-being

Question: What’s the 4th leading cause of teen deaths, often tied to depression?

Answer: Suicide

Question: What panic-filled symptom hits like a jump scare in real life?

Answer: Panic attacks

Question: What mental health term did Isaac Ray help popularise?

Answer: Mental hygiene

Question: Which disorder plays mind games with eating habits?

Answer: Eating disorders

Question: Which global condition is like a heavy cloud that follows millions?

Answer: Depression

Question: What anxiety diagnosis might a therapist blurt out?

Answer: Panic disorder

Question: What’s the balance between life, stress, and staying sane?

Answer: Mental well-being

History and Policy Trivia

Question: Which APA president was also a mental health trailblazer?

Answer: Isaac Ray

Question: Who fought for better psychiatric hospitals in the 1800s?

Answer: Dorothea Dix

Question: What old-school term evolved into “mental health” over time?

Answer: Mental health

Question: Which hypothesis links fewer hospital beds with more prison inmates?

Answer: Penrose Hypothesis

Question: What movement said, “Let’s take care out of hospitals and into the community”?

Answer: Deinstitutionalization

Question: What major issue came from deinstitutionalization in the U.S.?

Answer: Poor living conditions and inadequate medical care in community homes

Question: What’s the name for mentally ill people being shuffled between institutions?

Answer: Transinstitutionalization

Question: What landmark mental health act passed in 1963?

Answer: Community Mental Health Centers Act

Question: What happened to many with mental illness after deinstitutionalization?

Answer: Increased homelessness and inadequate care

Question: Who started the National Committee for Mental Hygiene in 1908?

Answer: Clifford Beers

Question: Which act reduced state hospital admissions and pushed for local care?

Answer: Community Mental Health Centers Act

Question: In Japan, what do you call mental health pros who make house calls?

Answer: Psychiatric social work

Question: What did deinstitutionalization sadly cause more of among the homeless?

Answer: Increased mental health issues among the homeless population

Question: Which 1980 act aimed to care beyond just clinical treatment?

Answer: Mental Health Systems Act

Question: When did U.S. state hospitals start shutting down for real?

Answer: 1990

Question: In one study, what percentage of homeless women had PTSD?

Answer: 53%

Question: What’s a top cause of disability around the globe today?

Answer: Mental health disorders

Question: Which 1998 WHO initiative explored emotional health worldwide?

Answer: World Mental Health (WMH) survey initiative

Question: What 1843 reform did Dorothea Dix lead to change mental care?

Answer: American asylum movement

Question: Which 2004 act funded public awareness campaigns for mental health?

Answer: Mental Health Services Act

Question: What eye-opening book did Clifford Beers write?

Answer: A Mind That Found Itself

Question: Which movement said, “Start mental care early — even in childhood”?

Answer: Mental hygiene movement

Question: What rule did the 1963 Act enforce for hospital admissions?

Answer: Only patients posing imminent danger could be admitted

Question: What’s a core priority in U.S. mental health strategy since 2011?

Answer: Mental and emotional well-being

Question: What old term faded out in favor of the more hopeful “mental health”?

Answer: Mental hygiene

Demographics and Risk Factors Trivia

Question: How many teens (10–19) had a mental health condition in 2019?

Answer: About one in seven

Question: What’s the #1 illness knocking teens off their game?

Answer: Depression

Question: When do depressive disorders usually crash the party?

Answer: Between 11 and 14 years

Question: Which red flag screams teen depression?

Answer: Withdrawal from social activities

Question: Which condition often affects those without a roof overhead?

Answer: PTSD

Question: What do we call stress that messes with an already struggling mind?

Answer: Stress-related disorders

Question: Who’s more likely to face depression in their teen years?

Answer: Female gender

Question: What makes mental health worse for minorities?

Answer: Discrimination and exclusion

Question: In disadvantaged cities, how many kids saw a serious assault?

Answer: 67%

Question: What percent of 5th graders in New Orleans were violence victims?

Answer: 51%

Question: What slows down thinking when poverty hits young minds?

Answer: Slower cognitive thinking

Question: What issue fuels more mental health disorders in unequal countries?

Answer: Income inequality

Question: What’s a mental health bomb that comes with long-term job loss?

Answer: Increased depressive disorders

Question: What economic factor hits mental health hard in poor countries?

Answer: Economic inequality

Question: Which condition warps how people eat—and feel?

Answer: Eating disorders

Question: What’s a buzzword for how bias hurts minority mental health?

Answer: Discrimination and exclusion

Question: Who’s more prone to issues like substance abuse?

Answer: Males

Question: How many kids with behaviour symptoms actually see a doctor?

Answer: Approximately 25%

Question: What PTSD-linked symptom leaves homeless folks socially stranded?

Answer: Social disaffiliation

Question: Roughly how many people worldwide deal with mental health issues?

Answer: Nearly half

Question: What often follows when teen mental illness goes untreated?

Answer: Substance abuse

Question: What makes prisoners more likely to face mental health struggles?

Answer: Social marginalization

Question: What natural growing pain triggers teen mental health conditions?

Answer: Psychological development

Question: What’s one thing refugees need to feel mentally whole again?

Answer: Family reunification

Question: In a PTSD study on homeless women, what percent met criteria?

Answer: 53%

Prevention and Treatment Trivia

Question: By 2030, how much is mental illness expected to cost the world?

Answer: Over $6 trillion

Question: What’s the GPS of mental health care that helps patients find their way?

Answer: Care navigation

Question: What feel-good activity doubles as a brain booster?

Answer: Exercise

Question: What’s the name for using meds to tackle mental health issues?

Answer: Pharmacotherapy

Question: What therapy involves art, music, or even drama class—but for your emotions?

Answer: Expressive therapies

Question: Which therapy is basically a deep chat with a pro to lift your mood?

Answer: Psychotherapy

Question: What therapy helps untangle anxious thoughts like a mental Rubik’s Cube?

Answer: Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT)

Question: What calming practice has you breathing, pausing, and chilling your stress levels?

Answer: Mindfulness meditation

Question: What movement is like a gym for your emotions?

Answer: Mental fitness

Question: What type of counseling mixes psychology with spiritual guidance?

Answer: Spiritual counseling

Question: Which therapy helps you take control of nightmares—Inception-style?

Answer: Lucid dreaming therapy

Question: What approach boosts mental health by building strong habits and support?

Answer: Mental health promotion

Question: What do we call early actions that stop mental illness before it starts?

Answer: Mental health prevention

Question: Which therapy teaches people to get better at feelings and friendships?

Answer: Social-emotional learning

Question: Which term covers meds for serious conditions like schizophrenia?

Answer: Pharmacotherapy

Question: What form of movement can rival antidepressants in fighting sadness?

Answer: Physical exercise

Question: Which therapy gets you to face your fears—one awkward step at a time?

Answer: Exposure therapy

Question: What lets patients peek at their mental health notes to feel more in control?

Answer: Open Notes

Question: What do you call therapy delivered through your phone or laptop?

Answer: Teletherapy

Question: In the U.S., how many people with mental illness eventually get help?

Answer: Approximately 80%

Question: What reform did Dorothea Dix push for in the 1800s?

Answer: American asylum movement

Question: What mental health therapy has you painting your way through pain?

Answer: Art therapy

Question: What expert-led group offers emotional backup and real talk?

Answer: Community support groups

Question: What method do social workers use to help clients manage their care plans?

Answer: Case management

Question: Which condition often gets treated with serotonin boosters (a.k.a. SSRIs)?

Answer: Depression