Middle-aged suicides on the rise, says CDC

In a surprising piece of news, the U.S. government said this week that the suicide rate among middle-aged Americans was at the highest point in 25 years. That's a bit unnerving.

Specifically, , the suicide rate rose about 20 percent between 1999 and 2004 for Americans in the 45 to 54 age bracket, according to the CDC.

Experts don't have a explanation for why the rate has jumped so much, although most suicide prevention programs focus on teenage and elderly demographics, not middle-aged citizens.