Read the passage below and answer the questions
Sudhir is a 15-year-old boy, who has recently begun to experience persistent sadness and loss of interest in activities he once enjoyed. He is often found to be irritated without any specific reasons. Despite parental and school support, he feels worthless and thinks his future is doomed. His academic performance and social life has been severely affected. It has been found that his maternal uncle had also experienced such problems when he was young. However, timely identification and psychological aid helped in improving his condition. Psychologists have emphasized that these patterns are not merely emotional reactions and may indicate a mood disorder that is characterized by a disturbed emotional state which may include prolonged periods of sadness and thoughts of self-harm and suicide in serious cases.
Which of the following measure should not be adopted to prevent suicide?
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 3
The correct answer is Option (3) → Increasing access to the means of suicide
Suicides are preventable, and WHO suggests measures for a multi-sectoral approach. The question asks which measure goes against them.
Option (1) Training health workers in assessing and managing for suicide — A WHO measure (Incorrect). Trained health workers can identify people at risk and manage them, so this should be adopted.
Option (2) Providing community support — A WHO measure (Incorrect). Care for people who have attempted suicide and community support are among the suggested measures; lack of social support is itself a risk factor.
Option (3) Increasing access to the means of suicide — Not to be adopted (Correct). WHO suggests the opposite, limiting access to the means of suicide. Easier access makes it simpler to act on suicidal thoughts in a moment of acute distress.
Option (4) Reporting of suicide by media in a responsive way — A WHO measure (Incorrect). Careful reporting of suicide by the media is one of the suggested measures, so this should be adopted.
Note: Option (4) prints ‘responsive’ way, while the measure in NCERT (2025-26) is reporting of suicide by media in a ‘responsible’ way. A responsive report reacts to events; a responsible one is careful about how it reports a suicide, which is what the measure means. The option is still a measure to adopt.
NCERT (2025-26): “Bipolar and Related Disorders … Suicides are preventable. There is a need for comprehensive multi-sectoral approach where the government, media and civil society all play important role as stakeholders. Some measures suggested by WHO include:
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