Under the Mental Healthcare Act 2017, in what form may electroconvulsive therapy be given to an adult?

Only with anaesthesia and a muscle relaxant

Without anaesthesia in emergencies

Only in a government mental hospital

At an anganwadi in Palakkad, the ANM wants mothers of children with diarrhoea to learn how to prepare ORS correctly from a packet. Most mothers cannot read. Which method of health education will work best?

Demonstration followed by practice by the mothers

A lecture with flip charts and posters

Printed leaflets with pictures of the steps

A talk broadcast on community radio

Health education, sociology, mental, geriatric and international health

29 NEET-PG practice questions on Health education, sociology, mental, geriatric and international health, part of Community Medicine. The first 25 are below; the first 5 with answers and explanations (tap Show answer after you have chosen), the rest in Learn with a free account.

Question 1 · Easy
Under the Mental Healthcare Act 2017, in what form may electroconvulsive therapy be given to an adult?
1. AWithout anaesthesia in emergencies
2. BOnly with anaesthesia and a muscle relaxant
3. COnly in a government mental hospital
4. DOnly after a court order
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Answer: B · Only with anaesthesia and a muscle relaxant
The Mental Healthcare Act 2017 lists prohibited procedures: ECT without a muscle relaxant and anaesthesia (unmodified ECT), ECT for minors except with the permission of the Mental Health Review Board, sterilisation as a treatment for mental illness, and chaining. Modified ECT under anaesthesia is permitted with informed consent or as the Act allows. Key point: MHCA 2017 bans unmodified ECT; ECT must be given with anaesthesia and a muscle relaxant.
- A: Unmodified ECT is prohibited in every situation.
- C: ECT may be given in any registered mental health establishment.
- D: No court order is needed; consent and the Act's safeguards apply.
Question 2 · Medium
A man with bipolar disorder, currently well, writes down that if he relapses he wants to be treated with lithium, not valproate, and that his sister should decide for him if he cannot. He signs and dates it and gives a copy to his psychiatrist. Under the Mental Healthcare Act 2017, what is this document called?
1. ALiving will
2. BSupported admission form
3. CAdvance directive
4. DInformed consent form
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Answer: C · Advance directive
The Mental Healthcare Act 2017 lets an adult write an advance directive stating how he wishes, or does not wish, to be treated for mental illness and whom he appoints as nominated representative. It applies when he lacks capacity, and doctors must follow it unless a Mental Health Review Board allows otherwise. A living will concerns withdrawing life support at the end of life. Key point: MHCA advance directive: a person's own wishes for future mental health treatment and representative.
- A: A living will concerns end-of-life care, not psychiatric treatment.
- B: Supported admission is a form for admitting a person with high support needs.
- D: Consent covers current treatment, not future treatment during incapacity.
Question 3 · Medium
Over several months, a woman in a Wayanad tribal colony has heard about the copper-T from the ASHA, asked her neighbours about it and discussed it with her husband. She now agrees to have one inserted for a few months to see how it suits her. Which stage of adoption of a new idea has she reached?
1. ATrial
2. BInterest
3. CAwareness
4. DEvaluation
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Answer: A · Trial
People adopt a new practice through awareness, interest, evaluation, trial and adoption. She has passed awareness (heard of it), interest (asked about it) and evaluation (weighed it with her husband), and accepting it 'to see how it suits her' is the trial stage. Adoption follows if the trial satisfies her. Key point: Stages of adoption: awareness, interest, evaluation, trial, adoption.
- B: Interest was seeking information from neighbours.
- C: Awareness was the first stage, when she heard of it from the ASHA.
- D: Evaluation was weighing it up with her husband, already done.
Question 4 · Medium
Under the International Health Regulations (2005), a single case of which of these diseases must always be notified to WHO? 1. Smallpox. 2. Poliomyelitis due to wild-type poliovirus. 3. Cholera. 4. Severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS).
1. A1, 2 and 3 only
2. B1, 2, 3 and 4
3. C1, 2 and 4 only
4. D1 and 2 only
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Answer: C · 1, 2 and 4 only
Annex 2 of the IHR (2005) lists four diseases that are always notifiable because a single case may be a public health emergency: smallpox, poliomyelitis due to wild-type poliovirus, human influenza caused by a new subtype, and SARS. Events involving other diseases such as cholera, pneumonic plague and yellow fever are notified when the decision instrument shows they may be of international concern. Key point: Always notifiable under IHR: smallpox, wild polio, new-subtype human influenza and SARS.
- A: Cholera is assessed with the decision instrument, and SARS is always notifiable.
- B: Cholera is not always notifiable.
- D: SARS is also always notifiable.
Question 5 · Medium
At an anganwadi in Palakkad, the ANM wants mothers of children with diarrhoea to learn how to prepare ORS correctly from a packet. Most mothers cannot read. Which method of health education will work best?
1. AA lecture with flip charts and posters
2. BDemonstration followed by practice by the mothers
3. CPrinted leaflets with pictures of the steps
4. DA talk broadcast on community radio
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Answer: B · Demonstration followed by practice by the mothers
A demonstration shows step by step how to do something, 'seeing is believing', and letting the mothers then prepare ORS themselves applies the principle of learning by doing. It suits skills and an audience that cannot read. Leaflets fail with non-readers, and lectures and radio talks are one-way. Key point: To teach a skill like ORS preparation: demonstration plus practice (learning by doing).
- A: A lecture is one-way and poor for teaching a practical skill.
- C: Leaflets do not work for mothers who cannot read.
- D: Radio talks spread awareness but cannot teach a hands-on skill.
Question 6 · Medium
A daily-wage worker with typhoid is excused from work by his employer, but everyone expects him to see a doctor, take his medicines and try to get well quickly. Which sociological concept describes these rights and obligations?
1. ASick role
2. BIllness behaviour
3. CSocial stigma
4. DAcculturation
Answer and explanation in LearnFree account
Question 7 · Medium
At the family planning counselling corner of a district hospital, a counsellor greets a couple, asks about their needs, tells them about the available methods, helps them choose and explains how to use the chosen method. The wife chooses an IUCD. In the GATHER approach, what is her final step?
1. AHand over the chosen method to the couple
2. BReturn visit arranged for follow-up
3. CAssess the couple's knowledge
4. DTeach-back by the couple
Answer and explanation in LearnFree account
Question 8 · Easy
A widower aged 78, neglected by his two sons who have taken over his house, comes to the geriatric clinic for help. Under which law can he claim monthly maintenance through a tribunal?
1. AProtection of Women from Domestic Violence Act 2005
2. BMental Healthcare Act 2017
3. CRights of Persons with Disabilities Act 2016
4. DMaintenance and Welfare of Parents and Senior Citizens Act 2007
Answer and explanation in LearnFree account
Question 9 · Hard
Census table of a block: population aged 0-14 years 27,000; 15-64 years 60,000; 65 years and above 9,000. A planner wants the old-age dependency ratio and the total dependency ratio to plan geriatric services. Which pair of values is correct?
1. A9.4 and 60
2. B15 and 60
3. C9.4 and 37.5
4. D15 and 45
Answer and explanation in LearnFree account
Question 10 · Medium
Household survey record from a field practice area: grandfather and grandmother; their two married sons with their wives; four grandchildren. All eat from one kitchen, pool their income under the grandfather and live under one roof. How should this family be classified?
1. ASingle-parent family
2. BNuclear family
3. CReconstituted family
4. DJoint family
Answer and explanation in LearnFree account
Question 11 · Medium
In a village health talk on tuberculosis, the medical officer starts with the cough syrups and home remedies people already use, moves to why sputum should be tested and ends with the need for a six-month course of drugs. She uses simple Malayalam words and local examples throughout. Which principle of health education is she applying?
1. ASetting an example
2. BKnown to unknown
3. CLearning by doing
4. DReinforcement
Answer and explanation in LearnFree account
Question 12 · Hard
International Health Regulations (2005), as amended in 2024: who determines that an event is a public health emergency of international concern?
1. AThe WHO Director-General, advised by an Emergency Committee
2. BThe World Health Assembly, by a vote of all member states
3. CThe WHO Regional Director of the region
4. DThe health minister of the affected country
Answer and explanation in LearnFree account
Question 13 · Hard
Two days after hip fracture surgery in the orthopaedic ward, a retired schoolteacher aged 84 becomes suddenly confused at night, pulls at his urinary catheter and sees insects on the wall; by morning he is drowsy but rousable, and his attention wanders through the day. His family says he handled his own pension and bank work until last week. He has been given tramadol for pain. Temperature is 38.1 °C and serum sodium 131 mmol/L (normal 135-145). He has no history of alcohol use or earlier memory complaints. What is the most appropriate next step?
1. ATransfer him to a psychiatric ward
2. BGive IV lorazepam to calm him
3. CLook for and treat the cause, with non-drug measures
4. DStart donepezil for dementia
Answer and explanation in LearnFree account
Question 14 · Hard
A medical intern doing a family study in a village near Thrissur records that a family of seven has a total monthly income of Rs 35,000 from farming and a daughter's nursing job. She wants a scale that classifies socioeconomic status from income alone, works in both rural and urban areas and is kept current by linking it to the consumer price index. The family owns 2 acres of land and a pucca house, and both parents studied up to the tenth standard. Which scale and figure should she use?
1. ABG Prasad, family income Rs 35,000
2. BKuppuswamy, total family income Rs 35,000
3. CBG Prasad, per capita income Rs 5,000
4. DUdai Pareek, landholding and caste
Answer and explanation in LearnFree account
Question 15 · Hard
At the airport health organisation in Kochi, a construction engineer arrives on a flight from Lagos, Nigeria, one day after leaving that country. His yellow fever vaccination certificate shows he was vaccinated 7 days before departure. He has no fever, and his travel documents are otherwise in order. India is receptive to yellow fever because Aedes aegypti is present. He has worked on a Lagos construction site for two years and is travelling home to Thrissur on leave. What action should the airport health officer take?
1. ARevaccinate him and allow entry at once
2. BQuarantine him until 6 days have passed since he left Nigeria
3. CDeport him to Nigeria on the next flight
4. DAllow entry, as the certificate is valid for life
Answer and explanation in LearnFree account
Question 16 · Hard
Brought by his son to the NPHCE clinic of a district hospital, a retired clerk aged 70 has become forgetful over the two months since his wife died. He sleeps poorly, waking at 3 a.m., has lost 4 kg, has stopped going to the temple and answers most memory questions with 'I don't know' without trying. He is fully oriented, and thyroid function, vitamin B12 and blood sugar are normal. He denies plans of self-harm. His son reports no wandering, getting lost or failing to recognise relatives. What is the most appropriate management?
1. AStart donepezil for early Alzheimer disease
2. BAdmit for electroconvulsive therapy
3. CReassure the family that this is a normal grief reaction
4. DStart an SSRI such as sertraline, with follow-up
Answer and explanation in LearnFree account
Question 17 · Medium
In the casualty of a district hospital, a young man is stabilised after drinking an organophosphate pesticide in an attempt to end his life. His family fear that the police will prosecute him. He is 24 and lost his job last month. Under the Mental Healthcare Act 2017, how is a person who attempts suicide regarded?
1. ALiable to prosecution unless a psychiatrist certifies illness
2. BTo be admitted compulsorily for 30 days
3. CLiable to a fine but not imprisonment
4. DPresumed to have severe stress and not to be punished
Answer and explanation in LearnFree account
Question 18 · Medium
In the NPHCE geriatric clinic, a woman of 74 with osteoarthritis of the knees and a recent fear of walking outdoors is asked to rise from a standard armchair, walk 3 metres at her usual pace, turn, walk back and sit down while the physiotherapist times her. What does this test mainly assess?
1. ACognitive impairment
2. BFall risk from poor mobility and balance
3. CExercise capacity of the heart and lungs
4. DProximal muscle myopathy
Answer and explanation in LearnFree account
Question 19 · Easy
A letter about a regional measles meeting arrives from the WHO regional office that covers India. In which city is that office?
1. ACairo
2. BManila
3. CBrazzaville
4. DNew Delhi
Answer and explanation in LearnFree account
Question 20 · Medium
The District Mental Health Programme was first piloted in Bellary, Karnataka, and later extended across India. What is its core strategy?
1. ACare only through private psychiatrists
2. BCompulsory admission of severely ill patients
3. CIntegrating mental health care into district health services
4. DBuilding a mental hospital in every district
Answer and explanation in LearnFree account
Question 21 · Easy
A group discussion on breastfeeding is planned with mothers at an anganwadi. What is the ideal group size?
1. A15 to 20
2. B6 to 12
3. C25 to 30
4. D3 to 5
Answer and explanation in LearnFree account
Question 22 · Medium
At the geriatric OPD of a district hospital under NPHCE, a retired postman aged 81 has had two falls at night in the past month. He takes amlodipine and metformin, amitriptyline 25 mg at night for poor sleep started by a local doctor, and chlorpheniramine for an itchy rash. He gets up twice at night to pass urine. Standing BP is 132/80 mmHg with no postural drop, and blood sugar is well controlled. He lives with his daughter, walks with a stick and has no history of fainting. Which is the most appropriate first step?
1. AStop the amitriptyline and the chlorpheniramine
2. BPrescribe a walking frame alone
3. CStop the amlodipine
4. DAdd a benzodiazepine for sleep
Answer and explanation in LearnFree account
Question 23 · Medium
For World Diabetes Day, a medical college organises a session in which an endocrinologist, a dietitian and a podiatrist each give a short prepared talk on a different aspect of diabetes, with no discussion among themselves; the audience then puts questions through the chairperson. Which method of health communication is this?
1. APanel discussion
2. BSymposium
3. CLecture
4. DWorkshop
Answer and explanation in LearnFree account
Question 24 · Easy
Which of the following are scored in the modified Kuppuswamy socioeconomic scale? 1. Education of the head of the family. 2. Per capita monthly income. 3. Occupation of the head of the family. 4. Total monthly family income.
1. A1, 2 and 3 only
2. B2 and 4 only
3. C1, 2, 3 and 4
4. D1, 3 and 4 only
Answer and explanation in LearnFree account
Question 25 · Medium
A large training audience of 120 ASHAs is split into groups of six, each discussing one question for six minutes before reporting back. What is this technique called?
1. ASymposium
2. BBrainstorming
3. CPhillips 66 (buzz session)
4. DPanel discussion
Answer and explanation in LearnFree account

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Health education, sociology, mental, geriatric and international health

Under the Mental Healthcare Act 2017, in what form may electroconvulsive therapy be given to an adult?

Over several months, a woman in a Wayanad tribal colony has heard about the copper-T from the ASHA, asked her neighbours about it and discussed it with her husband. She now agrees to have one inserted for a few months to see how it suits her. Which stage of adoption of a new idea has she reached?

Under the International Health Regulations (2005), a single case of which of these diseases must always be notified to WHO? 1. Smallpox. 2. Poliomyelitis due to wild-type poliovirus. 3. Cholera. 4. Severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS).

At an anganwadi in Palakkad, the ANM wants mothers of children with diarrhoea to learn how to prepare ORS correctly from a packet. Most mothers cannot read. Which method of health education will work best?

A daily-wage worker with typhoid is excused from work by his employer, but everyone expects him to see a doctor, take his medicines and try to get well quickly. Which sociological concept describes these rights and obligations?

At the family planning counselling corner of a district hospital, a counsellor greets a couple, asks about their needs, tells them about the available methods, helps them choose and explains how to use the chosen method. The wife chooses an IUCD. In the GATHER approach, what is her final step?

A widower aged 78, neglected by his two sons who have taken over his house, comes to the geriatric clinic for help. Under which law can he claim monthly maintenance through a tribunal?

Census table of a block: population aged 0-14 years 27,000; 15-64 years 60,000; 65 years and above 9,000. A planner wants the old-age dependency ratio and the total dependency ratio to plan geriatric services. Which pair of values is correct?

Household survey record from a field practice area: grandfather and grandmother; their two married sons with their wives; four grandchildren. All eat from one kitchen, pool their income under the grandfather and live under one roof. How should this family be classified?

International Health Regulations (2005), as amended in 2024: who determines that an event is a public health emergency of international concern?

In the NPHCE geriatric clinic, a woman of 74 with osteoarthritis of the knees and a recent fear of walking outdoors is asked to rise from a standard armchair, walk 3 metres at her usual pace, turn, walk back and sit down while the physiotherapist times her. What does this test mainly assess?

A letter about a regional measles meeting arrives from the WHO regional office that covers India. In which city is that office?

The District Mental Health Programme was first piloted in Bellary, Karnataka, and later extended across India. What is its core strategy?

A group discussion on breastfeeding is planned with mothers at an anganwadi. What is the ideal group size?

Which of the following are scored in the modified Kuppuswamy socioeconomic scale? 1. Education of the head of the family. 2. Per capita monthly income. 3. Occupation of the head of the family. 4. Total monthly family income.

A large training audience of 120 ASHAs is split into groups of six, each discussing one question for six minutes before reporting back. What is this technique called?