In 2016, 45,000 people died by suicide - marking a slight increase over the previous year - a new report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reveals.

These new statistics come just days after the shocking news of handbag designer Kate Spade's alleged sudden suicide.

Rates of suicide increased by more than 30 percent in half of states in the US - only decreasing in Nevada. Overall, there were about 1.5 percent more suicides in 2016 than in 2015.

Though suicide remains more common among men, rates of suicide by women, like Spade, rose at more than double the rate of increase seen in men.

Since 1999, suicide has become nearly 30 percent more common in the US - and more than half of those who killed themselves in 2016 had not been diagnosed with a mental health disorder, underscoring the need for better understanding of the signs that precede suicide and access to mental health care, experts say.

Rates of suicide rose in 2016 in every state except for Nevada, with increases of 30 percent or more in half of all states, according to the CDC's latest report

Every day, 123 Americans commit suicide.

In a year, millions more consider, plan and attempt to kill themselves.

With tens of thousands of people ending their own lives each year, suicide is the tenth leading cause of death in the US overall, and second most common way that those between 10 and 34 die.

For women in general, stereotypes of being the perfect mom and employee, the stigma associated with a need to "balance" all of that can cause pressure as well Dr Shainna Ali, psychologist

These rates have climbed most steeply since 1999 among people between ages 45 and 64, according to the latest Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) statistics.

As of this week, millionaire handbag mogul Kate Spade became another member of that age group to die by suicide.

Women like Spade are considered particularly at risk for depression, which can lead to suicidal ideation and planning, though men are more likely to complete suicide.

It may come as little surprise that 42 percent of those who committed suicide in 2016 had a relationship problem or were coping with the loss of a relationship, as the new report revealed.

Other contributing factors to suicide - besides substance abuse and mental health disorders - detailed in the CDC's latest report included recent or impending crises, physical health problems, financial stress, losing housing and criminal or legal problems.

'If we step back from the statistics, mental health does not discriminate,' said Dr Shainna Ali, a Florida psychologist.

Fashion mogul Kate Spade was found dead in her apartment earlier this week, having allegedly committed suicide

'But if we look into women from there, understanding that suicide is a problem across all categories...men commit suicide at a higher rate, but it's a greater increase in women.'

Mental illness is also most common among women, though it tends to be reported more frequently by those in younger age groups, between 18 and 25.

'Conditions like postpartum depression and menopause [may put some women at a higher risk], and, for women in general, stereotypes of being the perfect mom and employee, the stigma associated with a need to "balance" all of that can cause pressure as well,' said Dr Ali.

'This kind of "perfectionism" not only affects women, but, in light of Spade's suicide, it is something we can highlight,' she added.'

Trends in suicides in many ways follow trends in mental health, yet more than half of suicide victims in 2016 had no known mental illness diagnosis at the time of their deaths.

Though more than half of people who died of suicide had no diagnosis, only 16 percent of those were women.

More than half of Americans who died by suicide in 2016 had no diagnosed mental illness

Women were more likely to have been diagnosed than men, and firearms were used in more suicides than any other method for men and women both

To the knowledge of her family and investigators, Spade did not have a previously diagnosed mental health condition, though her sister Reta Saffro has said she suspected that Spade had begun drinking heavily as a way to cope.

Whether or not Spade had a problematic relationship with alcohol at the time of her death, substance abuse was common among 28 percent of those who died by suicide in 2016, according to the CDC's report.

In light of its findings, the CDC has also released an accompanying 'technical package,' which details the agency's recommenced policies and programs.

Efforts to reduce excessive alcohol consumption play a key role in what the CDC calls 'creating protective environments.'

This is part of its larger call on entire communities - beginning at the family level and expanding all the way up to society as a whole - to come together to watch out for suicidal behavior and make help more accessible.

Accomplishing this, according to the CDC, has to be accomplished by work in a number of avenues.

The first component it stresses is fostering connectedness.

Many experts have said that the US is in the midst of a 'loneliness epidemic,' with one recent report finding that nearly half of Americans sometimes or always feel alone.

The CDC's prevention plan also stresses the need for community financial support for those in need. Together, loss of housing and financial issues played a role in 20 percent of the 2016 suicides not attributed to mental health issues.

Dr Ali stresses that the primary goal should be to 'empower' people to recognize the signs of suicide risk in themselves and others in order to put a stop to the rising rates of suicide in the US.