Mental health assessments differ based on a therapist’s approach.
Daily self-check-ins help detect mental health changes early.
Open-ended questions encourage supportive conversations and reduce stigma.
We all have our good days and bad days.
It is becoming common to take a mental health day to manage stress and prevent burnout and illness.
Our mental health is intimately involved with our physical health. Taking care of our mental wellbeing is essential for optimal functioning and flourishing.
While mental health problems were previously heavily stigmatized and only discussed in clinics and hospitals, today there is greater awareness of mental health and its importance for overall wellbeing (Wellcome Global Monitor, 2021).
When assessing our mental wellbeing, there are certain mental health questions a therapist should ask. We can also evaluate our cognitive wellness with self-check-ins using powerful mental health questions. These and more are what we will explore in the following article.
Before you continue, we thought you might like to download our three Positive Psychology Exercises for free. These science-based exercises will explore fundamental aspects of positive psychology including strengths, values, and self-compassion, and will give you the tools to enhance the wellbeing of your clients, students, or employees.
What Are Mental Health Questions & Why Are They Important?
Before exploring mental health questions and their importance, we need a science-based definition of mental health.
The World Health Organization (2022, para. 1) defines it as follows:
“Mental health is a state of mental wellbeing that enables people to cope with the stresses of life, realize their abilities, learn well and work well, and contribute to their community. It is an integral component of health and wellbeing that underpins our individual and collective abilities to make decisions, build relationships, and shape the world we live in.”
Meanwhile, positive psychology researcher Corey Keyes (2007) originally defined mental health as a continuum stretching from mental wellness, characterized by resilience, adaptability, and the ability to function effectively in everyday life, to poor mental health that makes everyday life more challenging, to mental illness that disrupts daily living and can be disabling long term.
However, Keyes has since revised this position to develop a dual continua model of psychological wellbeing that regards mental illness and mental health as two distinct constructs on two distinct but overlapping continua (Westerhof & Keyes, 2010).
This means that those with a diagnosed mental illness can simultaneously be mentally healthy and functioning well in many areas, while those with no mental illness may not be mentally healthy but are functioning suboptimally, often termed languishing or dysfunctional and self-sabotaging.
While this model has yet to gain traction in the wider clinical community, it has opened up a discussion about potential reforms of the mental health system to incorporate the insights of positive psychology into treatment and care planning, for example, by focusing on character strengths and building resilience in those with diagnosed mental illness (Iasiello & Van Agteren, 2020).
For this article, I will define mental health as the foundation of wellbeing that exists on a continuum from optimal mental wellness, characterized by resilience and flourishing, through to languishing and eventually poor functioning, characterized by self-sabotaging thoughts, feelings, and behaviors. I will not refer explicitly to the medical model of mental illness but rather to mental health problems or mental health issues.
Mental health questions assess a person’s mental wellbeing to help prevent and detect mental health problems that could disrupt daily functioning. Questions are an essential component of a mental health assessment that is conducted when attending an initial clinical screening with a mental health professional such as a psychologist, mental health nurse, counselor, therapist, social worker, or psychiatrist.
Questions about mental health vary according to the clinical discipline of the professional conducting the assessment and the model of mental health involved. For example, a psychiatrist is a medically trained doctor who will screen patients using a diagnostic classification system to detect signs and symptoms of mental illness using the medical model (Kinsella & Kinsella, 2015).
However, a counselor or therapist will ask more holistic or person-centered mental wellness questions, depending on their therapeutic approach. A psychodynamic therapist would focus on tracing any current issues by delving into developmental history beginning in childhood, while a person-centered counselor would rarely refer to signs and symptoms and be much more interested in a client’s current story and meaning-making (Kelly et al., 2007).
In short, mental health questions are important because they are the foundation of a mental health assessment, which determines treatment and the type of intervention required.
Keep in mind that questions are constructed around a model of mental health that differs according to the clinical profession of the assessor and their theoretical approach (Kinsella & Kinsella, 2015).
12 Mental Health Assessment Questions a Therapist Should Ask
A therapist will conduct a mental health assessment using specific questions based on their clinical approach.
A cognitive behavioral therapist will ask different types of questions from a psychodynamic therapist or humanistic therapist (Cariss & Marshall, 2022).
Keeping this in mind, there will be some questions that all therapists will ask but perhaps word differently according to their approach.
These would revolve around the following:
What has brought you to therapy?
What are the key problems you would like to explore or solve?
How is your appetite? Are you eating more or less than usual?
How are you sleeping? Are you sleeping more or less than usual? How is the quality of your sleep?
How often do you exercise?
Where do you go for support when you need it? Do you have a network of supportive relationships with others?
Have you experienced any previous struggles with your mental health?
Have you attended any previous therapy or treatment programs?
How are your relationships with your family? How often are you in touch with them?
Are you in an intimate relationship with a partner? How is that going?
Are there any aspects of your daily life that you struggle with right now?
Are there any areas of your work and/or school life that you find challenging?
The above questions cover a range of daily activities, relationships, and life domains that are among the first to contribute to mental wellbeing (Wellcome Global Monitor, 2021).
Depending on your therapist’s approach, they may delve more into some areas than others. For example, a transpersonal therapist would be very interested in your spiritual life and wellbeing (Wellings & Wilde McCormick, 2000).
On the other hand, a cognitive behavioral therapist might not ask any specific questions about the spiritual life domain unless their client presents the issue as an area of concern during the initial screening process.
15 Daily Mental Health Check-In Questions to Assess Wellbeing
Changes in eating and sleeping habits are often the first indicators that our mental health needs attention and may be off balance (Cariss & Marshall, 2022).
Daily check-in questions can help track these changes before things become unmanageable. The questions below relate to changes in mood and behavior, which can shift subtly over time.
Early detection of changes can help prevent problems like depression, post-traumatic stress disorder, and burnout. It can also help prevent a relapse for those with a history of recurring mental health challenges (Cariss & Marshall, 2022).
The following questions are based on Cariss and Marshall’s (2022) mental maintenance approach devised to support their therapy clients between sessions.
Do you have any unresolved trauma that might still be affecting you?
How do you ground yourself in moments of acute stress?
What role does self-compassion have in managing your stress and anxiety?
How will you manage your mental health challenges between therapy sessions?
It’s important to understand that no list of mental health questions is definitive, and the emphasis will differ depending on a therapist’s training and approach (Cariss & Marshall, 2022).
However, this list of mental health questions provides plenty of scope for mapping out a client’s mental health and wellbeing regardless of the approach used.
Life skills and self-efficacy are two key aspects of mental health that are often used to assess mental health in teens and older college students.
Bashir (2018) found there was a positive relationship between high school students’ life skills, self-efficacy, and mental health. Self-efficacy and life skills measures could offer some good ideas for mental health questions to ask students.
Academic self-efficacy questions for students
Self-efficacy refers to a person’s confidence in their ability to complete tasks and achieve their goals. Strong self-efficacy is undoubtedly linked to higher levels of educational attainment.
When assessing students’ mental wellbeing, research indicates the following questions that assess their academic self-efficacy will be useful (Brown, 2018; Foulkes & Stapley, 2022).
How confident are you that you can successfully complete homework within deadlines?
How are you focusing on school subjects?
How are you finding the information you need to complete class assignments?
How confident do you feel about taking part in class discussions?
How are you managing to keep your academic work organized?
In addition, students can struggle with academic pressures and peer relationships. These additional questions probe such areas further.
Over the last 12 months, how frequently have you felt so worried about something that you were unable to sleep at night?
Over the last 12 months, how frequently have you felt alone or lonely?
How many close friends would you say you have?
You can also probe students’ mental health by asking the other questions posed in this article. However, the above are especially pertinent to assessing mental health in teens and the specific challenges they may be struggling with.
Psychoeducational resources to share
If you are working with students, you may find this Instagram post a useful visual aid for explaining how mental health fluctuates.
Buckets and Mental Health
According to Rath and Clifton (2004), we each possess a metaphorical bucket representing our emotional and mental wellbeing. This imaginary bucket can be empty, full, or anywhere in between, and it undergoes a continuous process of filling (through positive interactions) and emptying (through negative interactions).
We feel energized, happy, and content when our buckets are full. When our buckets run low or empty, we can easily become negative, insecure, and defensive.
Having positive, meaningful interactions and showing kindness not only makes us feel good and fills our buckets but also fills the buckets of those around us. When our bucket is full, we are more inclined to fill the buckets of others.
However, when our bucket is running low or empty, we don’t have anything left to give to ourselves, let alone others. Therefore, it’s important to show kindness and compassion to ourselves to fill our bucket back up before we can service the buckets of others.
This next video is a useful psychoeducational tool. A psychiatrist answers questions from the public, many of them students, about mental health and mental health terminology.
Psychiatrist answers mental health questions from Twitter
7 Questions to Ask Someone Struggling With Mental Health
Inquiring into the mental health of somebody we care about is a delicate business that should be approached with sensitivity and compassion. Below we provide advice on how to approach a seemingly troubled person.
Mental Health Questions to Ask
In addition, the following questions can help you start a discussion about mental wellbeing with a friend or family member. These questions are based on empathy and nonjudgment.
It’s important to be patient and give them the space to share as much or as little as they’re comfortable with (Mental Health Foundation, 2024). Sometimes, just listening actively with your full attention and presence is the most powerful support you can offer.
Offering support
I’ve noticed that a lot of people have been struggling lately, and I’ve felt it too sometimes. How are you doing at the moment? I’m ready to listen if you’d like to share.
Do you feel like you have enough support around you at the moment?
Is there anything I can do to help make things easier for you right now?
Exploring coping strategies
Here is a sentence stem for an open-ended question you can ask about current coping strategies. Some examples of common mental health struggles are mentioned in this list, but insert whatever they identify as a current challenge or struggle.
How are you managing your
stress levels
tiredness
low mood
poor sleep
lack of appetite
anxiety
low energy levels?
Is there anything you’ve tried before that helped you feel better when you felt this way?
I care about you and just want to make sure you know I’m here to listen. Is there anything you’d like to share with me?
Sometimes talking about our problems with friends and family can be difficult as we want to protect them and take care of them. I’m here, but I can only listen. Have you thought about exploring this more with a professional supporter, like a coach, counselor, or therapist?
17 Top-Rated Positive Psychology Exercises for Practitioners
Expand your arsenal and impact with these 17 Positive Psychology Exercises [PDF], scientifically designed to promote human flourishing, meaning, and wellbeing.
Sometimes, referencing inspirational mental health quotes can help normalize mental health struggles and reduce stigma for some clients. Take a look at our article 28 Inspiring Mental Health Quotes That Will Empower You.
Clients receiving multidisciplinary treatment may also benefit from reading these articles on mental health assessments and mental health treatment plans. These two articles are great psychoeducational resources and provide useful templates for helping professionals too.
Mental health questions are powerful tools for promoting mental health, detecting mental health challenges, and preventing relapse in those with a history of mental health problems.
Mental health self-check-in questions are a positive wellbeing habit that can monitor stress levels, promote self-care, and help prevent burnout.
It is important to understand that mental health exists on a continuum. This can prevent the kind of inauthentic, defensive, toxic positivity that can be a side effect of the stigma associated with poor mental health. An open exploration of our own and others’ mental health requires us to understand that it is OK not to always be OK.
“How do you usually cope with stress or difficult emotions?”
“What activities help you feel calm or happy?”
“How do you know when your mental health is improving or declining?”
“Are there specific triggers that affect your mental wellbeing?”
What are three open-ended questions for mental health?
Three open-ended questions for mental health are:
“Can you describe how you’ve been feeling lately?”
“What changes have you noticed in your mood or behavior recently?”
“What strategies have you found helpful in managing your mental health?”
What is the 12-question mental health questionnaire?
The 12-question mental health questionnaire often refers to the General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-12), which assesses an individual’s current mental state. It includes questions about feelings of strain, depression, inability to concentrate, and sleep disturbances, aiming to identify psychological distress and potential mental health concerns.
References
Bashir, L. (2018). Mental health among senior secondary school students in relation to life skills and self-efficacy. International Journal of Multidisciplinary Research Review, 3(9), 587–591.
Cariss, J. & Marshall, C. (2022). How to grow through what you go through: Mental maintenance for modern lives. Vermillion.
Foulkes, L., & Stapley, E. (2022). Want to improve school mental health interventions? Ask young people what they actually think. Journal of Philosophy of Education, 56(1), 41–50. https://doi.org/10.1111/1467-9752.12649
Iasiello, M., & Van Agteren, J. (2020). Mental health and/or mental illness: A scoping review of the evidence and implications of the dual-continua model of mental health. Evidence Base: A Journal of Evidence Reviews in Key Policy Areas, (1), 1–45. https://doi.org/10.21307/eb-2020-001
Kelly, C. M., Jorm, A. F., & Wright, A. (2007). Improving mental health literacy as a strategy to facilitate early intervention for mental disorders. Medical Journal of Australia, 187(S7), S26–S30. https://doi.org/10.5694/j.1326-5377.2007.tb01332.x
Keyes, C. L. M. (2007). Promoting and protecting mental health as flourishing: A complementary strategy for improving national mental health. American Psychologist, 62(2), 95–108. https://doi.org/10.1037/0003-066X.62.2.95
Kinsella, C. & Kinsella, C. (2015). Introducing mental health: A practical guide. Jessica Kingsley Publishers.
Wellings, N. & Wilde McCormick, E. (2000). Transpersonal psychotherapy. Sage.
Westerhof, G. J., & Keyes, C. L. (2010). Mental illness and mental health: The two continua model across the lifespan. Journal of Adult Development, 17, 110–119. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10804-009-9082-y
Jo Nash, Ph.D., began her career in mental health nursing before working as a service user advocate and in mental health policy research. After gaining her Ph.D. in Psychotherapy Studies, Jo was a Lecturer in Mental Health at the University of Sheffield for over a decade. She has trained in two mindfulness-based interventions, ACT and MBCT. Jo currently coaches neurodivergent and highly sensitive adults where she applies positive psychology using a strengths-based, solution-focused approach.
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What our readers think
Ronald Manley Storer
on November 1, 2024 at 03:17
I enjoy your article. I am a student at Liberty University in behavioral science studying crisis counseling. I would be interested in a specific set of questions similar to the PHQ-9 designed for a client’s current emotional functioning assessment. Thank you.
Aletha Natiuk RN, CRRN
on November 23, 2022 at 05:51
Thank you so much for this helpful resource. As a masters student for Public Health Nursing, I found these questions helpful ice breakers for me to use for a focus-group collection strategy paper I am writing (questions were modified, of course to my topic). Thank you!
Would like to thank the writer of this article. Used some of these questions to design a mental health survey for our website project to raise awareness about early treatment of mental illnesses. Really informative and useful to raise in-depth questions and start meaningful conversations. Thank you so much!
We all have our good days and bad days.
A therapist will conduct a mental health assessment using specific questions based on their clinical approach.
Inquiring into the mental health of somebody we care about is a delicate business that should be approached with sensitivity and compassion. Below we provide advice on how to approach a seemingly troubled person.
What our readers think
I enjoy your article. I am a student at Liberty University in behavioral science studying crisis counseling. I would be interested in a specific set of questions similar to the PHQ-9 designed for a client’s current emotional functioning assessment. Thank you.
Thank you so much for this helpful resource. As a masters student for Public Health Nursing, I found these questions helpful ice breakers for me to use for a focus-group collection strategy paper I am writing (questions were modified, of course to my topic). Thank you!
hello Nicole,
Would like to thank the writer of this article. Used some of these questions to design a mental health survey for our website project to raise awareness about early treatment of mental illnesses. Really informative and useful to raise in-depth questions and start meaningful conversations. Thank you so much!
~Raj