General Mental Health Knowledge
True or false. 1 in 5 Americans will experience a mental illness in a given year.
What is true?
True or false. You must be religious and/or be a Buddhist to practice mindfulness/meditation.
True or false. Being neat or liking to have some of your things in order/well organized means that you have OCD.
What is false?
True or false. You should not have compassion for yourself because by doing that you're allowing yourself to slack off or indulge in bad behaviors.
What is false?
True or false. Every coping strategy is healthy.
What is false?
What event is this describing? "Sweating, nausea, trembling and numbness in the legs or hands, dizziness, hot or cold flashes, a feeling of tightness or pressure in the chest, hyperventilation, 'jelly' legs or blurred vision. Individuals may even feel like they are going to die of a heart attack."
What is a panic attack?
True or false. You can only be mindful when you're calm and relaxed.
What is false?
This is the amount of time that (according to the DSM-5) you need to be engaged in obsessive or compulsive behavior per day in order to be diagnosed with OCD.
What is one hour?
An inner dialogue you have with yourself that may be limiting your ability to believe in yourself and your own abilities, and to reach your potential.
What is negative self-talk? (Variations accepted.)
You can prepare in advance for a mental crisis by developing one of these, a document in which you may have listed some of your triggers, warning signs and coping skills, along with some emergency numbers/supports.
What is a safety plan?
True or false. There is a cure for every type of mental illness.
What is false?
True or false. It is OK if your mind is wandering away from the present moment while you're doing a mindfulness meditation practice.
What is true?
These are three theories about where obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) may come from (i.e., what might "cause" OCD). (Multiple different answers may be accepted.)
What are biology, genetics and learning? (Variations of these are accepted.)
True or false. Self-compassion is the same thing as self-esteem.
This is where you breath in for about 5 seconds, hold your breath for about 5 seconds, breath out for about 5 seconds, then breath in again for about 5 seconds.
What is square breathing?
The three parts of the "cognitive triangle" (concept from CBT).
What are cognition/thoughts, feelings, and behaviors/actions?
The name for a form of moving meditation, in which you are not sitting but are going out and about while being mindful of your breathing and/or of what your body is doing and/or of sights and sounds and of other things around you.
What is walking meditation? (Variations may be accepted.)
This type of medication is considered the usual medication of choice for the treatment of OCD.
What are antidepressants (SRIs/SSRIs)?
This is something you can try if you are wanting to start a mindful self-compassion practice of your own but are finding it hard to feel compassion for yourself. (Multiple answers may be accepted.)
What is first trying to direct compassion to a pet and/or to someone you feel for compassion for more readily/easily?
The name of a type of coping skill that may involve doing things like looking around and finding 4-5 things of a certain color, or reaching out to the bottom of your chair to feel the texture there, or counting down from 100 in increments of 5.
What are grounding techniques/skills?
A name for the method of behavioral modification in which you are "rewarded" for engaging in behaviors that you want to increase. (Multiple answers accepted.)
What is (behavioral) conditioning? Or (positive) reinforcement?
A name for the mind's ability to self-regulate, and to plan, focus attention, remember, and juggle multiple tasks. This ability can be strengthened through practicing mindfulness.
What is executive functioning? (May also accept other answers, such as prefrontal cortex.)
This is a type of cognitive behavioral therapy in which you are gradually exposed to your feared thing or situation, in order to build a tolerance for it over time.
What is Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP)?
According to researcher Kristin Neff, these are three components of self-compassion.
What are self-kindness vs. self-judgment, common humanity vs. isolation, and mindful awareness vs. over-identification.
This technique involves tensing and then relaxing your muscles in each part of your body, usually starting with the feet.
What is progressive muscle relaxation?