You misunderstood the statistic. Mental health issues are caused/exacerbated by academia not the other way around. Many of my cohort and friends were bullied, harassed, abused, taken advantage of by supervisors and senior academic staff who often have unreasonable demands and expect blinding unquestioning allegiance.
People who run research groups are not selected for based on their people skills but rather academic performance/pedigree, which is the biggest issue IMO.
Academia is a tough gig. Peer review and thesis chairs perform the review of candidates work, trust me they are almost always contested to varying degrees.
Truth. It's well paid higher up the ladder but those jobs are few and far between. Depends on the country as well - the US and UK wages suuuck.
I can't complain. I personally love it and have only worked in supportive teams.