Male suicide at a 15 year high?

A piece on the BBC News website today explores the link between masculinity and suicide:

"…across the UK, the most recent statistics show the number of males taking their own lives is the highest it's been since 1999."

The number comes from the ONS. The figures show that while the number of male suicides has gone up since 1999, the suicide rate is lower; from 20.7 deaths per 100,000 males in 1999 to 18.2 in 2012. This latest figure compares to a rate of 5.2 per 100,000 females.