NEW research has revealed that suicide is the single biggest killer in men under the age of 45.

The research, published by the charity Campaign Against Living Miserably (CALM) and grooming brand Lynx, lays bare the shocking truth behind male suicide; revealing that more than a third (42per cent) of British men aged 18 to 45 say they have contemplated taking their own lives. The regional figure for Yorkshire is 36 per cent.

In partnership with Lynx, Calm has launched an advertising campaign, #Bigger Issues, to raise awareness of the "silent scourge" costing thousands of lives every year.

The figures show that in 2014 there were 4,623 male suicides in the UK, accounting for 76per cent of all suicides. This means male suicide continues to be the biggest single killer of men under 45, over heart attacks, drug and traffic related deaths.

Despite the fact that suicide is the single biggest cause of death of men in this age group, a recent YouGov poll shows that only a fifth of the public realise that suicide is the most likely cause of death for men aged under 45.

The research also shows that 41per cent of men who contemplated ending their own lives never spoke to anyone about their feelings, including medical professionals, family members or friends. Their reasons included not wanting people to worry about them and not wanting to cause a fuss.

The #BiggerIssues advertising campaign involves updating digital poster sites in real time to chart conversation topics on social media, highlighting how, while people are happy to talk about things like novelty fads, league tables, fashion trends and soap storylines, male suicide remains a taboo subject.

Every two hours, the campaign creative is changed across key sites to represent the fact that that every two hours, a man takes his life in the UK.

Rachel Bentley of Keighley lost her cousin to suicide eight years ago. "Richard was 32 and had been suffering with depression for some years but none of us knew how bad it was, not even his mum," she says. "When he was a teenager his dad died of cancer, which hit him hard, but whenever anyone tried to talk to him he clammed up. Looking back, I don't think he wanted to worry anyone, as the family had been through enough grief, and as a young man he found it difficult to open up about his feelings.

"I welcome this campaign; hopefully it will get people talking about what is a hidden crisis."

CALM is dedicated to preventing male suicide. Supporters and advocates of the charity include comedian and writer David Baddiel and rappers Professor Green and Dizzee Rascal. Over the past 12 months, CALM has taken more than 40,000 calls via its helpline and webchat.

Chief executive Jane Powell said: “The results of this research, together with the latest mortality statistics, show that we urgently need to raise awareness of this hugely important and under-discussed issue.

“Male suicide is tragically the single biggest killer of men under the age of 45 in the UK, and 12 men take their own lives every day - a fact few people are even aware of, let alone talking about.

“This isn’t an issue which affects ‘other people’ or one that can be solely reasoned to mental health issues, considering suicide is clearly something many men will consider should their life circumstances change. Of those men polled, the largest proportion of those who’d thought about suicide never actually talked to someone about it and the reasons they didn’t talk reinforce the norms of what society think it is to ‘be a man’ - not to talk about their feelings or make those around them worry.”

David Titman, Marketing Manager for Lynx, said: “As a brand that’s been a daily part of the lives of British men since 1985, Lynx has a powerful voice and is proud to use it in partnership with CALM to raise awareness of this massive issue.

“The ultimate objective of our partnership with CALM is to contribute to re-education and reduction of the UK’s shocking rate of male suicide, and encourage men to open up about their problems and seek help when they need it.”

* For more about CALM call 0800 585858 or go to thecalmzone.net.

* For more about the campaign go to biggerissues.co.uk