The Role of Science in Mental Health: Insights from the Wellcome Global Monitor

The Wellcome Global Monitor aimed to find out how important mental health is to people across the globe and their views on science’s role in addressing mental health problems. It also provides an insight into the actions people with anxiety or depression take to feel better. Many of the most commonly reported methods do not yet have a robust evidence base, suggesting there are ripe areas of research for mental health scientists as they work to develop the next generation of treatments. We set out to use the 2020 Wellcome Global Monitor to explore the following: 1. Global perceptions of the importance of mental health for overall wellbeing. 2. Global perceptions of the role of science in understanding mental health and finding solutions to anxiety and depression. 3. The different approaches people across the world with anxiety or depression use to manage their anxiety or depression and the perceived helpfulness of those approaches.