Although not adopted in GBD 2010, the use of age weighting in many economic analyses and in earlier GBD studies[34] recognizes and attempts to incorporate the social preference for avoiding health loss in young adults. In spite of its absence in GBD 2010 estimates, the peak impact of mental, neurological, and substance use disorders in early adulthood remained and demonstrated the ubiquitous effect of these disorders at a time of life when individuals are starting to make significant social and economic contributions to their families and societies. Although the peak burden of mental, neurological, and substance use disorders is found in young adults, there is, unlike many chronic diseases, a significant burden in children and younger adolescents. For countries such as those in Sub-Saharan Africa where children constitute 40% of the population [35], these findings highlight the need for prevention and treatment services targeted to children and adolescents. The availability of such services is often more sporadic than for adult services.
