At least one in 10 suicides in England is by someone with a chronic or terminal illness, found researchers who tried to obtain information on the subject from local health authorities.
Coroners told them that people were increasingly killing themselves at a younger age, rather than waiting until they were in severe pain in their 80s or 90s.
And two of 15 coroners interviewed also indicated they deliberately avoided probing into possible cases of assisted suicide - which remains illegal in Britain - "often for fear of causing problems for the friends and family left behind".
One retired coroner admitted: "There have been many cases where I had suspicions, but I would not see it as my specific job to delve into it. If I had no option then I would, but you might say I didn’t want to know."
Another coroner said: "If it was obvious, I would have to inform the police, as assisting suicide is a criminal offence."
But he added: "Normally it is the case that someone has informed their partner they want to end their pain or suffering.
"When a relative tells me this I try not to push them as to whether they were therefore aware the person was going to kill themselves."
The authors of the report, The Truth About Suicide, said such comments amounted to "evidence that coroners sometimes turn a blind eye to suspicions over assisted suicides".
Last year (2009-10) 19 cases of assisted suicide were reported to Keir Starmer, the Director of Public Prosecutions. No action has yet been taken on any of them.
The Demos report concluded that, in light of the interviewed coroners' admissions, "the actual number of assisted suicide cases is likely to be higher than official records suggest".
The core focus of the report was suicide among people with chronic or terminal illness, and not assisted suicide itself.
The authors said there was a dearth of information on the subject - only 29 or 147 NHS primary care trusts could provide data.
Louise Bazalgette, the lead author, explained that coroners were not required to include details of the deceased's medical history as part of the inquest.
But she said their research indicated at least 400 people with chronic or terminal illness committed suicide every year in England.
She commented: "The lack of attention paid to people with terminal or chronic illness committing suicide is a gross dereliction of duty on the part of the government and health services."
Demos is to present the report to the Commission on Assisted Dying, chaired by Lord Falconer, the former Lord Chancellor, later this year. It is examining areas where the law might be changed.
Advocates of legalising assisted suicide, such as Sir Terry Pratchett, the author, say people with terminal conditions are being forced to travel abroad to die at the Dignitas clinic in Switzerland because of the law here.
Defenders of the existing system fear legalisation will open the door to abuse, and that elderly people will be pressured to end their lives so as not to be a burden on relatives.
Guidance on the existing law, drawn up by Mr Starmer and published 18 months ago, say charges should only be likely when financial gain is shown to be the main motivation.
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