Samaritans Ireland has warned that some people with suicidal feelings are choosing not to attend their doctors due to the high cost of visits to GPs.
Launching a new campaign to reduce the large number of male suicides in Ireland, it also revealed one in 10 of its helpline calls are directly related to stresses caused by the recession.
"Men are four times more likely to take their own lives than women. Many men don't feel able to talk about their feelings and, instead, either bottle them up or let them spiral out of control, sometimes with tragic consequences," said Samaritans Ireland director Suzanne Costello.
Last year 422 men took their own lives compared to 105 women. The annual suicide rate increased by 28 per cent last year to 527 people, compared to 2008.
Ms Costello said helpline staff had gathered anecdotal evidence that some people were choosing not to attend their doctors because of the high costs of visits or to attend counselling services.
"The severity of the recession is exacerbating the problem for men in their 30s, 40s and 50s. There is a lot of pressure on men when they lose their job and have a lot of family commitments," she said. "Coupled with that, many families are facing into financial difficulties, with mortgage arrears and other debt burdens that they don't know how to shift."
She said suicide is often an "invisible killer" in the Republic due to the stigma associated with it and urged the Government to invest in frontline services to help people suffering with depression.
Minister for Mental Health John Moloney said there would be no new money for mental health services next year. But he said his aim was to maintain annual funding earmarked for suicide prevention at €5 million and to prioritise funding to target those most in need of early intervention.
The Association of General Practitioners acknowledged that some patients may choose not to visit their doctor due to fees. But it said medical card holders could avail of free treatment and in certain instances doctors would agree to see patients who were in need of treatment.
"GPs take a practical view. And if there are people who there who don't have the money I'm sure there is not a doctor out there who won't see them," said Dr James Stacey, treasurer of the Association of General Practitioners.
The new Samaritans campaign is specifically targeted at men in the 30s, 40s and 50s, the age group in which suicide is increasing at the fastest rates.
It aims to persuade men in distress tot talk about their problems and consider calling the 24 hour Samaritans helpline, which can be contacted at 1850 60 90 90.