SUICIDE is thought to be the biggest cause of death for men under the age of 50 - and men are around four times more likely to kill themselves than women.

According to Calm (Campaign Against Living Miserably), a charity dedicated to preventing male suicide, 78per cent of suicides in the UK each year are male. Suicide is now the single biggest killer of men between 20 and 45 in this country.

The issue was highlighted this week in a BBC Panorama programme, A Suicide in the Family, presented by journalist Simon Jack, whose father took his life when he was 44. Now that Simon has reached the same age, he looked into the issue of male suicide and problems arising from a culture where men are expected to be strong, and where asking for help is seen as weakness.

Calm, which was involved in the documentary, has supported more than 30,000 callers over the last year via its helpline and webchat. This week the charity announced rap artist Professor Green as its new patron.

Calm's helpline, supported by men's toiletries brand Lynx, takes almost 5,000 calls a month. The charity is also reaching out to men through its magazine, CALMzine, distributed by men's fashion retailer Topman in stores nationwide.

Professor Green, 31, - who has spoken about how suicide affected his life following the death of his father - called for a "cultural change".

"We need to get the message out to young men that talking and asking for help when things go bad is what everyone should be able to do, whatever their gender," said the singer-songwriter.

Figures released by the Office for National Statistics released in February showed that male suicide rates at their highest since 2001.

The Samaritans, who advised on this week's Panorama programme, said the rate for middle-aged men has reached its highest level for more than 30 years, with 25.1 per 100,000 suicides of men aged 45-59.

“Samaritans is keen to encourage more men to reach out for help, and create a culture where they will feel more comfortable doing so.” said Joe Ferns, Executive Director of Policy, Research and Development. “We hope this programme will encourage men to talk about the issues they are struggling with. We also want to raise awareness of the valuable support available, such as Samaritans. We are here round the clock for anyone who needs to talk."

Samaritans has been campaigning for measures to tackle high male suicide rates since 2010, when it launched its ‘Men on the Ropes’ campaign. The charity has also worked to get male suicide incorporated into the national suicide prevention strategy.

Research commissioned by the charity in 2012, resulting in the Men and Suicide report, showed that relationship breakdown, unemployment and poverty can have a catastrophic effect on middle-aged men. Misuse of alcohol is implicated in 65 per cent of suicides, and men in lower socio-economic groups are at ten times greater risk. Men are less likely to seek help until they reach crisis point.

Samaritans has launched a manifesto asking the new Government coming into power after next month's General Election to implement measures to reduce suicides in the UK, currently standing at more than 6,000 a year.

The charity is calling for four measures to be implemented - treating mental and physical health as equally important; tackling alcohol misuse; having a suicide prevention plan in every area; and making the Samaritans helpline free.

“Certain groups are more vulnerable to suicide and more resources need to be concentrated on trying to help them," said Mr Ferns. “Research shows that social deprivation plays a major part in suicide risk, and alcohol misuse, poverty, and unemployment are also factors. The Government needs to show clearly that it considers mental and physical health as equally important.

“Suicide prevention plans, which make the most of resources, encourage the sharing of information and target support where it is most needed, should be rolled out across all communities. This is especially an issue in England where around 30 per cent of local authorities don't have them at the moment.

“We need to remove any barrier to people being able to get the help they need, when and where they need it. Samaritans is committed to making its telephone service free to everyone but we need the new Government to join us in that commitment."

* To contact the Samaritans ring (01274) 547547 for the Bradford branch, or 08457 90 90 90 or visit samaritans.org.

For more about Calm visit thecalmzone.net