The pressure of living up to a laddish culture is being blamed for a rise in suicides among sad, lonely young British men, while women are growing in confidence.
Every week 12 males aged 14 to 24 kill themselves, according to a report by the Samaritans counselling service, which found an increasing minority of men feel isolated by changing social attitudes.
The British Government has made reducing suicides one of the main planks of its public health aims, seeking to cut the number by 50 per cent in the next 10 years. But experts say not enough is being done to reach out to young men trying to conform to social stereotypes that make them think it is weak to ask for help when they feel depressed.
Relationship problems are given as the main reason men become depressed, followed by unemployment, with many feeling they have failed if they are unable to support their partners. Men are more likely to turn to drink or drugs to blot out negative feelings but this in turn often leads to violence and further relationship problems.
According to the Samaritans' survey, more than half the young men polled said they had thought seriously about suicide and had nowhere to turn for help. More than half said they would smash something rather than talk about their problems, to which most believed violence could provide a solution.
One reason men suffer most when a relationship breaks down is that they are used to being leaders in their family life, yet most divorces and separations are initiated by women.