Here’s a shocking statistic. Middle-aged men in Britain are three times more likely to kill themselves than women.

It highlights the fact that as a nation we are still not doing enough to tackle male suicide rates, which are now at their highest since 2001.

The number of middle-aged men taking their own lives has reached its highest level for more than three decades. Relationship breakdown, unemployment and poverty can all have a catastrophic effect on men in their forties and fifties.

Misuse of alcohol is implicated in 65 per cent of suicides, and men in lower socio-economic groups are at 10 times greater risk. Men are also less likely to seek help until they get to crisis point, and be wary of talking therapies. It can be hard for them to open up. It is a challenge – we all have to encourage more men to reach out for help and create a culture where they will feel more comfortable doing so.

But it is also a question of resources and support. Samaritans is calling for the issue to be given a greater priority in Westminster. We want to see mental and physical health treated with equal importance. More must be done to tackle alcohol abuse.

And every area of the country should have suicide prevention plans, which make the most of resources, encourage the sharing of information and target support where it is most needed. This is especially an issue in England where around 30 per cent of local authorities do not have them at the moment.

We also want our helpline to be free to callers and we need the new government to help us in achieving that aim. The north west has the second highest suicide rate in the UK. The rate in Manchester is 11.8 per 100,000. But this is not about statistics; it is about people who are suffering.

Our Manchester and Salford operation is part of a network of Samaritan branches providing emotional support 24 hours a day, seven days a week. We are here to listen. 0161 236 8000 is the telephone number for callers wanting to ring the branch for emotional support.

How to make contact:

Email manchester@samaritans.org to become a volunteer or a Friend of Samaritans

Manchester and Salford Samaritans

The Samaritans