Trigger warnings are a special type of warning at the beginning of an article, video, or blog that states the potential trauma and emotional distress its content can bring to the viewer. Such items could be sexual abuse, rape, suicide, or descriptive imagery of anything blood related. In the beginning of its use, it was a relatively small and simple topic. However, as it is used more frequently by different groups of people, its use has gone on larger scale debate within the U.S. Although many people disagree with the frequent use of trigger warnings, these warnings are essential to preserving mental health and security for many people.

Many will ask what reasons we have to continue to using trigger warnings. The truth of the matter is that these warnings benefit trauma or Post-traumatic Stress Disorder victims, and do not concern people who do not have these issues the triggers address. PTSD is a common disorder in the world that occurs after one witnesses life-threatening event such as sexual assault, combat, a natural disaster, or a car accident. Having vivid flashbacks, avoiding sensitive situations, and having negative beliefs or emotions are common problems among individuals who have PTSD. People who have no triggers are unaffected by trigger warnings, so why should they care about when and where they are used?

A great example for discussion is the University of Chicago, who banned trigger warnings and like protocol from their campus. In a welcome letter to incoming freshmen, the letter stated: “You will find that we expect members of our community to be engaged in rigorous debate, discussion and even disagreement. At times this may challenge you and even cause discomfort.” This is a very negative and ineffective approach to a “community experience.” A considerable amount of students, especially in college, have mental health issues regarding any past trauma they may have experienced. When they are forced to enter an environment or class discussion that can make them physically and emotionally unsafe, those students are disinclined for success at college. This statement, while making a broad and ineffective attempt at being inclusive, completely disregards each individual who have their own set of experiences that are sometimes good or bad.

When trauma or prompts to mental illness are triggered, victims have serious panic attacks that make them feel incredibly disorientated, nauseated, or lead them to have vivid flashbacks of their past experience. How can students be expected to focus and study under such heavy conditions? If these warnings are not used in college courses, then many people who do not suffer from PTSD-like conditions have a major advantage over the people who do have them. Trigger warnings are implemented in many classes to level the playing field by helping students mentally prepare over time for the upcoming content which can make them so emotionally distressed to the point where it incurs a mental breakdown. If they do not feel comfortable, and know of the content beforehand, many of these students will take adequate time to recollect themselves outside the class to prevent disruption. Otherwise, mental breakdowns that could have been avoided hurts the classroom environment, as well as the person directly affected.  According to the National Alliance on Mental Illness, 60% of college students who dropped out of their school did so because of a mental health issue.

Although trigger warnings may seem overused and unnecessary, they only need to be recognized by the people they are provided for. They are often used in simple warnings before the beginning of a movie or other content. Some people who have not experienced trauma or extremely stressful situations must know that there are people have had such experiences, and that they should not be held to seemingly unreasonable expectations that harm them.  Unsolicited jokes and mentions of damaging topics are extremely unethical. The least that can be offered is a chance for people to walk away from these topics if they do not wish to hear them. Trigger Warnings are not bad, as they just allow people to walk away from a topic. It does not completely erase it from discussion. It is important to know that people have different levels of sensitivity when it comes to certain topics, and it is absolutely important to respect that.