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A scientist’s opinion: Interview with Dr. Francisca Vargas Lopes about the mental health of young people
“Half of the mental health conditions are already there before the age of 18 and two-thirds before the age of 25. So, it is part of the epidemiology of mental disorders that they start very early in the life course, opposite to many other non-communicable diseases that we study. This is quite a relevant feature and, I think, also a reason for us to pay a lot of attention to youth in terms of their mental health,” explains Dr. Francisca Vargas Lopes, Health Policy Researcher at the Health Division of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD).