Opportunity: Over 70% of mental health problems have their onset in childhood or early adolescence. 20% of all children have a significant mental health problem that causes impairment. 10% of all children have a chronic psychiatric disorder with a significant genetic aetiology. Neurodevelopmental disorders such as mental retardation and autism are lifelong debilitating diseases which affect 2-3% of children. 12 Schizophrenia affects 1% of the population and is likely also a developmental disorder. Violent behaviours are thought to result largely from gene-environment interactions during development. 13 Identifying at-risk youth and intervening as close to onset as possible is of paramount importance.
