Four in 10 UK PhD students ‘at high risk of suicide’, says study

The respondent who said that their “main reason for feeling suicidal and that you want to give up is the fact that you’re doing your best to prove you are very smart and capable and you end up being put down and criticised very harshly” is spot on. I'm a late-diagnosed autistic and even a supervision could trigger a bit of a melt-down. I was advised to withdraw on health grounds as my supervisors didn't think I could handle a hostile viva. It's a shame, but I have to put my health first - fortunately I have my academic post on the basis of professional qualifications, the PhD was for me... still very sad to have had to give up, though.

My former employer, a northern, small university, positively pushed staff to the edge of mental health problems by pursing a 'must have PhD', policy for full time staff. This was an attempt to push out older staff who had higher quals, but significantly, also had professional qualifications and experience deemed inadequate compared to a PhD. The PhD was weaponised and attempting to complete it whilst still holding a full time teaching commitment certainly caused me a stress burnout.