美国全国公共广播电台:一直以来男人选择自杀的几率都大于女人.如今,一群新的自杀高危人群出现了-那就是中年男人.

NPR News: Men have historically been more likely to commit suicide than women, but a new, vulnerable group is emerging from their ranks: middle-aged men.

That age group includes comedian Robin Williams, who committed suicide last month at age 63. The rate for middle-aged men now eclipses older men, who historically have had the highest rate of suicide.

In 2011, 39,518 people committed suicide -– a rate of 12.7 per 100,000 and the highest in the last 12 years, that's according to the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The middle-aged — people 45 to 64 years — had the highest rate, the result of an upward trend since since 1999.