BUENOS AIRES, Sept. 19 -- Bereaved relatives and mental health specialists are trying to start a conversation about suicide in Argentina as more people than ever are choosing to end their own lives.

Suicide is currently the leading cause of death among young people aged 15 to 34 in the South American country, according to data from the Criminal Policy Observatory (OPC) and the security ministry.

Suicide rates in Argentina - 11.8 cases per 100,000 inhabitants - are lower than in neighboring Uruguay, which has recorded 19.16 per 100,000 inhabitants.

But recently surging numbers have caused alarm.

Last year, the OPC recorded a 57.6 percent increase in suicide since 2017, and a 22.6 percent increase since the year before.

The publication...