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Life expectancy in the US touched record high in 2012 even as deaths from deadly diseases showed a decrease compared to previous year.

Center for Disease Control predicts a mean life expectancy of 78.8 years for babies born in 2012, a month longer than 2011. Not surprisingly, the life expectancy for women was pegged at 81.2 years, while the average longevity for men was estimated at 76.4 years, Time reported.

Fox News reported fatalities decreasing from leading cause of deaths but said suicide remains an exception.

"The suicide rate reached its highest point in 25 years. That figure has been increasing since 2000 and it's really hard to say why," CDC's Robert Anderson was quoted saying by Fox News.

According to the CDC report, overall death rate fell by 11 percent. Heart disease and cancer are two leading causes of deaths which killed fewer people in 2012 compared to previous years, NBC News reported.

"Although changes in mortality are relatively small from one year to the next, long-term trends show the apparent progress in reducing mortality. For example, the age-adjusted death rate in the United States decreased 15.7% from 869.0 to 732.8 deaths per 100,000 standard population from 2000 to 2012," CDC report said.

The report also said that the life expectancy at 65 years improved since 2011.

"Life expectancy at 65 years for the total population was 19.3, 0.1 year higher than in 2011. Life expectancy at 65 years was 20.5 years for females and 17.9 years for males. The difference in life expectancy at 65 years between females and males increased 0.1 year from 2.5 years in 2011 to 2.6 years in 2012," the report showed.

"The overall statistics suggest our society is getting better at medically managing conditions like diabetes and heart disease. But maybe we're not able to manage mental health as well, resulting in devastating results -- the increasing suicide rate," Emory researcher Solveig Cunningham told Fox News.