BOURNEMOUTH and Poole College has apologised after allowing its students to complete an online test on mental health which asked them how many depressed people it takes to change a lightbulb.

The test is issued to all students at the college to teach them about issues surrounding mental health.

However when students on the Hair and Beauty Level 2 course took the online multiple-choice test on Tuesday, November 17 they were appalled by some of the questions they were being made to answer.

One question asked: How many depressed people does it take to change a lightbulb?

Students had the choice between one, two, 10 or "it doesn't matter 'cos when you're depressed it's always dark".

Bournemouth Echo: How many depressed people does it take to change a light bulb? College apology for "awful" mental health quiz

Another question presented students with the statement: "People harm themselves for a laugh - to get attention." The pupils then had to pick true or false.

One of the students on the course said she found the test very offensive.

"I don't suffer from mental health problems personally but I know one my friends on the course suffers with depression and she was really upset by the test," she said.

"There was no explanation as to why the questions were worded in such a way. We were just told to complete it.

"Mental health is an extremely important subject that has a lot of stigma attached to it and to word the questions and answers in this way was just really naive of the college, if not extremely offensive.

"If someone was in the situation where they were self harming, I just wonder how reading something like this on a college test would affect them.

"It's just awful really and I know a few parents and students have complained."

One in four people in the UK will experience a mental health problem each year.

A spokesman from Bournemouth and Poole College said: "A student came to us on Wednesday, November 18, alerting us to the content of an online learning resource.

"We have since reviewed its contents and in-line with the college's values we have withdrawn it from our virtual learning environment (vle),

"We apologise unreservedly for any offence the programme may have caused.

"The test was supplied to us by a national organisation which specialises in the provision of interactive e-learning and e-assessment for colleges, schools, universities and local authorities."