Changes in suicide rates

WISQARS Injury Mortality Report:
Year(s) Suicides Population Rate
1981-1985 142,872 1,168,670,842 12.23
1981 27,596 229,465,316 12.03
1982 28,242 231,664,211 12.19
1983 28,295 233,792,237 12.10
1984 29,286 235,825,040 12.42

1987 30,796 242,289,046 12.71
1990 30,906 249,464,396 12.39
1993 31,102 259,918,595 11.97
1996 30,903 269,394,291 11.47
1997 30,535 272,646,932 11.20
1998 30,575 275,854,116 11.08

1999 - 2003 152,310 1,424,340,747 10.69
1999 29,199 279,040,181 10.46
2000 29,350 281,421,906 10.43
2001 30,622 285,093,870 10.74
2002 31,655 287,974,001 10.99
2003 31,484 290,810,789 10.83

So general suicide rates do seem to be on the decline, in the long-term, with a small, unstable increase in the last bundle of recorded years.

The women suicides are just continually decreasing. Which is odd because I've recently heard the opposite. Gotta check my facts, man:

Women
1981 - 1985 32,818 600,541,759 5.46
1986 - 1990 31,843 627,389,427 5.08
1991 - 1995 30,046 664,371,154 4.52
1999 - 2003 29,950 724,905,030 4.13