MAIL ONLINE: Special report: Men in their late 40s and 50s are more likely to take their own lives than any other group. We investigate the silent killer

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Why is it such a vulnerable age? According to Professor Nav Kapur at the University of Manchester’s Centre for Suicide Prevention, many factors can play a part. One is financial worries. The suicide rate among middle-aged men began to rise in 2008 – around the time of the recession – and regions with high unemployment often show higher levels of suicide. 

‘Middle-aged men are most vulnerable to losing their job and not getting another one,’ says Kapur, and research shows that men are far more likely to view their job, their financial success and security and their role as ‘breadwinner’ as central to their identity and self-esteem.