Cactus Communications releases global survey report on World Mental Health Day 2020

The survey, which was conducted  from Oct 2019 to Jul 2020 in seven languages, saw a response of over 13,000 participants globally, with strong representation from the top 10 research-producing countries, making it the largest and most diverse survey of its kind among researchers.

With 13 active and former academics as collaborators, the initiative was supported by various research-associated institutes and organizations such as IndiaBioscience, SciELO, and India Alliance, with Shift Learning as the analytics & reporting partner, Dragonfly Mental Health as an independent consultant, and Vitae and Euraxess as report amplification partners.

Commenting on the report, Abhishek Goel, Co-Founder and CEO, CACTUS, said, "While the world is constantly looking at researchers for answers and solutions, especially during a crisis like the ongoing pandemic, there is very little knowledge available about the life of a researcher.

"Through our conversations with researchers over the years, we understand that the academic environment is harsh, competitive, and rife with failure and rejection, and that mental health in academia is a serious issue that needs a concerted global focus. Through the Cactus Foundation, which aligns with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, we hope to create a better world for researchers, and we believe this survey is an important first step."

Speaking about the global diversity of the survey population, Clarinda Cerejo, Senior Director, Thought Leadership, CACTUS, said, "While mental health at the workplace has become a global topic of discussion, this topic is still considered taboo in many countries, and academia in particular has traditionally lacked the structure and organization required to address mental health concerns systemically. "