Middle-aged men are most at risk of suicide in Ireland.

That's according to a new report from the Men's Health Forum and the HSE, which shows that men are four times more likely to die by suicide than women.

There are now calls for gender specific mental health services that support the mental health of middle aged men.

The report has also issued recommendations to cover six key areas including advocacy, communication and stigma reduction.

Co-author of the report, Dr Noel Richardson outlines some of the reasons why men between 45 and 54 are most at risk.

He explained: "For a lot of men, it was a kind of crisis for identity - a lot of unfulfilled aspirations and expectations at middle age... middle-aged men feeling they had become sort of surplus to requirements."

Other factors include deteriorating physical health, decreasing career opportunities, and issues surrounding rejection & isolation.

Dr Richardson added that certain groups of men are more at risk than others.

"These included gay, transgender men, non-Irish nationals, unemployed men, separated or divorced fathers, ex-prisoners... all of these groups have been identified in the literature as being particularly at risk."