The article commits the common journalistic error of seeing a trend where none exists.
People commit suicide all the time.
None is adduced. Furthermore, getting a doctorate is difficult but certainly not the most difficult thing in the world. Having to deal with vindictive, narrow-minded, or incompetent superiors is a fact of the work world, not just the academy. Indeed, most of my colleagues seemed in no hurry to complete their programs and get on with their lives. Check this box if you would like this submission to be considered for publication as a letter to the editor in the printed Chronicle.