When I was in the navy my dad took his own life, and anyone who has ever been in the military knows how often there is training on suicide awareness, for about 6+ months I just couldn’t show up to those trainings, thankfully I had a decent command at the time and they allowed me to wave the training, but having the option to opt out is very important for people coping with serious trauma.
Gabriela Montemor sites.lsa.umich.edu/inclusive-teaching/2017/12/12/an-introduction-to-content-warnings-and-trigger-warnings/ It's not exactly someone asking for a content warning on racism, but this is an article about professors putting tags for their class material. Portrayals of racism and racist slurs are included in the example. Also, I remember when my high school would assign a book that had either of those things, the teachers would go out of their way to point out that the book did indeed have those things and, if a student asked more about it, try to put it in context of the time period. It may have been required by the school to say that, but I don't know.
That's a good point you made about how you don't know if trigger warnings are good or bad since they can trigger someone to feel PTSD symptoms but they also give the person the ability to implement A coping strategy once they see the trigger warning or avoid the scene entirely.
There is though the educations where someone might encounter specific things where trigger warnings or capability to leave class (usually comes along with it) may be a bad idea. If you are going to work with child care or any other part of the psychological or social care sector, you are likely to encounter sexual assault/rapist victims, and being to sensitive to these subjects should probably disqualify this kind of work. Even a teacher is likely to encounter such things in some way, and needs at least a basic understanding so they can at least refer the student to help if necessary. Essentially, if the thing in question is something you are likely or at least not unlikely to encounter, allowing people to opt out of due to previous trauma, should if they opt out as a minimum be a disqualifier to continue. It might sound insensitive, but school is a learning environment, it is not a therapist, and they are not there for your mental health, they are there to teach, and if you need treatment before pursuing the career of your choice, you should have that treatment prior.
It's funny how we have a psychology channel here saying how wonderful and good they are when psychological studies show avoiding your triggers actually makes PTSD worse.
Yes, the video is fine. This reply is what I take objection to. This reply make it seems like the only bad thing about trigger warnings is that they can trigger PTSD in and of themselves, but in actuality the far worse part about trigger warnings is that they can feed avoidance and make PTSD worse. I'm not objecting to the video. I'm objecting to this singular comment. That's why I replied to this comment and called it out, rather than replying to the video.
As a person with diagnosed ptsd, trigger warnings are extremely helpful for me. I (or anyone else) won’t try to censor or remove something that’s resembling traumatic experiences. If something is extremely specific/random you can’t expect the world to know or prepare you for that. I do, however, really appreciate when I can feel in control of what’s happening thanks to the warnings. Especially if I’m not emotionally secure/stable/safe/ready.
Y'know, I've had this profile pic for so long I always forget I have it. Turns out, I'm nothing more than a stupid octopus! *_VV TRIGGER WARNING VV_* "What a delicious morsel! I wanna get my tentacles around her...!" - Me to Bae
Just speaking from personal experience, I’d say the odds of a nocebo effect are likely to be influenced by how the warning is delivered. If it’s a big panicky ‘TRIGGER WARNING’, that feels different from a calm, matter-of-fact, ‘Ok, fair warning, we’re about to discuss such-and-such, so consider this your heads-up.’ The first sounds like it’s expecting you to collapse, the second like it respects you and sees you as normal, trauma and all. That makes a difference to how safe the environment feels.
@@kitwhitfield7169 it's a really complex topic and though I don't get triggered I get insanely uncomfortable at the mention of some things and just saying the word makes me feel really bad
I personally don't like the name. Granted, that's probably because the word "trigger" is now tainted, and I actively avoid using it so that no one has a reason to make a sarcastic "I'm triggered" response-because let's face it, that crap's really gotten old. I personally like "content warning" as a replacement: It has a well established history in English media of being used to warn listeners/readers/viewers that a potentially sensitive topic is about to follow, without the negative connotation which the screaming match has produced for me.
Bersl I agree! “Content warning” is also a lot more easy to use because it doesn’t imply shocking content or something that could be harmful, just a general warning. It’s a bit more versatile and inviting. Instead lf saying “don’t continue if you have PTSD related to [subject],” to me it implies “don’t continue if you don’t like this subject/don’t want to see it right now.” It’s a lot more casual.
I've actually just taken to including a sentence at the beginning of the topic without putting the "Trigger/Content Warning" label at the top...I think just seeing it literally triggers many people these days. I'll often just start the post by saying "Hey, some heavy topics like child molestation are up ahead, just letting you know." It's serving the purpose without pushing away people with the first two words of my post.
Bersl Yes, I agree. There are reasons to maybe want to avoid a given topic in a certain moment irrespective of being extra sensitive to it for some reason. There may be children present. Or you’re stressed and tired and just not in the mood for dark and depressing news. It’s just polite to give people a heads up about what’s coming and ‚content warning‘ is a nice neutral term.
As a trauma survivor with a few (legitimate) triggers, one of which is a relatively common household object, I'm not really sure how to feel about trigger warnings. I don't particularly dislike them, but I'm also not the kind of person that typically needs or wants them. I once asked a friend to keep a specific item put away when I came to his house because I'd been having flashbacks lately and didn't want more potential stress. At the same time, when I see the same object out at a store while shopping with others, I don't get irritated that they don't tell me it's there first. I know that it's a common object and I need to be able to cope with its presence to function in society. More importantly, a huge part of my recovery is actively reminding myself that I'm no longer in a situation where it poses a threat. Nobody is going to hurt me with it anymore. Have I had flashbacks after seeing one? Yes. But after every flashback, I come back to reality and find I wasn't in danger. I learn. I think that's useful- for me, in that specific situation. On the other hand, another trigger of mine is being touched on the shoulder. This one is particularly tricky, because it's seen as a fairly neutral place to be touched. It is one of my strongest triggers. When I was younger, I couldn't handle it at all. I once spun around and shoved a guy who came up behind me and put his hand on my shoulder. I didn't want to hurt him, but my immediate instinct was that I needed to defend myself because he was going to hurt me. I don't have that strong of a reaction anymore- usually I just flinch, and I'll pull away if I feel the contact is lasting too long. Still, I ask my friends and family not to touch my shoulder, because even if I can deal with it if I have to, it still makes me anxious enough that I actively avoid it whenever possible. And because it's something that (I feel) is reasonable to ask people not to do, I do so, because otherwise the stress is unnecessary. It's reasonable for me to ask a new friend not to touch my shoulders or to warn me before touching me from behind. It's not reasonable to ask people to hide common household objects that I'm gonna have to deal with at some point. I think at the end of the day we all just have to be reasonable.
Agreed. I think that very common triggers can be helpful to many people. In the same way that common allergens are mentioned on packaging, but uncommon ones are not, uncommon triggers to common things are very difficult if not impossible to warn for, but very common and obvious triggers I believe should be put in content warnings.
It is only common courtesy to refrain from blindsiding people with violent content. Trigger warnings have become a hot topic because more and more violent and graphic content has been seeping into everyday situations. I remember in college 30 years ago more than one professor flat out told us when videos were going to be extremely violent etc. There was not a word for it. It was just a professional way to run a class. It really should not be an issue today. It is not like it hurts you to warn people about graphic content. In many cases people who are bullies are just trying to validate their own unpleasant behavior by saying it is unreasonable for others to be upset by extremely graphic content.
Mary-Patricia Foy I think the point in this whole conversation about trigger warnings that immediately switches me off is when people want to implement them in subjects. Some subjects need to cover graphic content. If a Law degree had a trigger warning for the class for a vital portion of the learning on something possibly dramatic, imagine how that could impact the learning of the students. I believe some universities are making those topics ‘optional’ - in other words nobody will actually learn about them. How many people in colleges have PTSD? Probably fewer than those who are disabled. I’m sorry but I really don’t think we should be basing the rule around them, especially when they are so few and their condition so complex. Obviously it’s good to give a warning of graphic content but when it interferes with education is where I draw the line personally.
Agreed. It does no harm to warn people about content that might possibly be traumatic. In general, people are warned about flashing lights that might trigger a seizure. They should be warned about other potential triggers.
@@googlesuckscock6538 You might be surprised at how many people at college age might be suffering from PTSD, but that's not the point. People should be warned. What they decide to do is up to them. If legal topics are too upsetting, then the sufferer might have to find a different career. But we should know what we're in for so we can decide for ourselves.
The only thing I’ve ever been “Triggered” at was a yelling scene from Stranger Things where Eleven and Hopper were arguing and the yelling was so intense/believable that it brought me to fight or flight mode and made me very uncomfortable. I had traumatic incidents where I was yelled/screamed at directly and indirectly from my father. It stuck with me and now my brain makes me think I’m in danger whenever I hear anyone being angry in any degree. I don’t think I need trigger warnings even though almost every day I experience it but I think some people might need it depending on circumstances.
I was a university student when the whole issue around trigger warnings was starting to affect classrooms and was also suffering from extreme anxiety at the time. When a lecturer blurted out 'trigger warning' it immediately put me on edge, but when someone said gave a simple 'heads up' it made it easy to cope with and decide whether or not I felt I could cope.
As someone who suffered from PTSD for quite a while this is a great video! I personally don’t profit a lot from trigger warnings because my trauma comes from a car accident, which isn’t something that’s talked about (or warned about) a lot, but luckily so long as there are no images of injuries or the car after the accident, I’m generally alright. (And even seeing a mutilated car is usually not enough to cause a panic attack, but it’s definitely gonna give me a raised heartrate and some faster breathing.) Exposure therapy has helped me a lot and I agree that you shouldn’t avoid things that are triggers, but it should definitely be done in a controlled environment. I started getting panic attacks the first period of school back in 2016 and thus ended up missing a lot of classes that I had in the first hour or so. It was caused by me having one panic attack in the first period after an extremely stressful period of time (a close relative died, I was late for the first time ever in my high school “career,” and I had a maths test that day. Weirdly enough, that led to one of my triggers being trigonometry for a while and I know it sounds fake, but studying for the retake of the test gave me a panic attack, despite knowing how it worked.) Going into class while I was having one would inevitably end with me almost throwing up but going to the last few minutes and building it up from there, knowing that I could leave if I had to, along with about a year of therapy worked for me. My school also helped a lot - I found that doing something to ground myself (to make myself feel like I was part of the world instead of kind of numb) and something that was distracting (to stop myself worrying) helped a lot and I was allowed to leave class and get a jigsaw puzzle whenever I had to and it worked surprisingly well. Anyway tl;dr - this video is spot on and I couldn’t be happier. Triggers can be weird so not all warnings help, but having them and being able to avoid certain things when you know you’re not equipped to deal with them at that moment is important.
I suspect he asks because Rosie seems able to discuss it easily enough *now*. Not sure he picked up on the "2016" part of the story... Still I totally agree, insensitive as hell.
Hey guys - just to clarify, the panic attacks were *linked* to the car accident (the close relative who died was the one who took me in afterwards, as we were on holiday and I couldn't exactly go home without leaving my dad, who was in hospital) but didn't occur directly after it. The accident was back in 2009, when I was still pretty young, which is probably why it affected me so badly and for so long. The panic attacks, however, started popping up at the end of 2015 (december, about a week or so before the new year). Either way, I've always been fine with talking about all of this. Obviously I'm not always in the mood, but there's never been a time in my life after the accident that I wasn't able to talk about it, luckily.
I have PTSD due to childhood abuse. I went through a period of time where I avoided my triggers very heavily; I didn't watch anything with child abuse in it, I refused to be around people who were loud when they spoke, etc. The more I avoided those things, the worse it got. When I started exposing myself to those things, at first it was awful. Really, really bad panic attacks. But the longer I allowed myself to be exposed, the less those things bothered me. I wouldn't suggest doing this, though; anyone who wants to learn how to manage their triggers needs to see a therapist or psychiatrist. They went to school to learn how to help you.
Controlled and guided exposure to a trigger is helpful in recovery. Unexpected and chaotic triggers resulting in terrible anxiety attacks set back recovery because they only further back up the negative associations made and enforce a desire to avoid any potentially triggering content. Trigger warnings are there so people can make informed and level-headed decisions about what they are prepared to experience and what they are not.
This was a very well made video that doesn't try to make a stand on something that wasn't well researched while giving as many of the facts as possible and many of the hypothesis. I liked this video more then I thought I would just because it reminded me that people are weird and nothing is straightforward.
One thing I think a lot of people don’t realize is that trigger warnings don’t put a damper of free speech, they can actually be a helpful tool. Instead of banning anything with loud bangs so you don’t upset people, you can put up a warning and then carry on with the content you were gonna make in the first place. It’s honestly not that hard. I don’t have ptsd, but I personally don’t like seeing blood or gore. So I appreciate when there’s a trigger warning or something similar so I don’t have to watch or see something I just don’t want to.
They do when you demand that anything that triggers you not be said or be removed like a lot of college students as doing. Some even on things vital to their chosen field of education and future employment.
Duke00x that’s not a discussion about trigger warnings then, it’s a discussion about censorship and those are two different things. Personally I’ve never seen or heard of anyone trying to censor classes but that’s just me
Trigger warnings don't call for anything to be removed. It's literally just a way of informing people what they're getting into. Saying "we're gonna talk about sexual assault in this sociology class" isn't stopping the professor from teaching about sexual assault, its letting students know ahead of the game so they aren't blindsided by something that might give them an anxiety attack. I'd assume you've never had one of those, by the way you regard people with PTSD so flippantly, but let me tell you it feels like you're dying and can derail your entire day.
The goal of a trigger warning is to let people know what's coming, so anyone who might find it more difficult because of their past experiences can avoid additional trauma. Triggers are highly specific to people, and are often things from right before the traumatic event. Some people think they're important for creating safe spaces for everyone, while others believe they coddle people and stifle free speech. This is where trigger warnings aren't going to help, because no one's going to think doors or sunny days require warnings. The triggers are just too idiosyncratic to predict. People with post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) often choose to think about their trauma, rather than just involuntarily recalling it, so they're more likely to be prepared for it. But it's also possible that trigger warnings could be bad for people with PTSD. Researchers have found that warning messages can have unintended effects, and we don't know if this is the case here.
They tend to help me quite a bit. I ask for them around simulations of abuse so I can get myself in the right mindset to withstand the tidal wave of fear and nightmares and still participate afterwards instead of just curling up in a ball and crying for hours
NoyzBot exactly. I have only one and it's from a very specific violent action that happened towards my sister. And it often pops up in movies. All I would need is someone who has seen the movie to say maybe you should look away for a couple minutes, I will tell you when the scene is over. That way I don't have to see the action and re live it. And during those moments I calmly breath and remind myself that it is over and everything is fine.
I have ptsd, trigger warnings are important to me. Stuff like discussions of child sexual abuse and panicked screams can send me into a dissociative state or a deep depression if I'm not prepared. its really stressful and I'm usually not productive AT ALL for awhile afterwards. I really appreciate when people tell me about that stuff. I'd rather not be hit with an audio recording of a 911 call without warning. Not only is not properly warning people common but so is mocking people for wanting those warnings. triggered jokes and ridicule has made my life, and the lives of so many other victims, a living hell.
How can someone know about your triggers unless they know you. Sometimes a conversation jumps topic to topic so you cant join a conversation safely, do i get it right? Who is to blame if you are triggered than, i gues it is not obvious what triggers you or is it somehow?
@@onebreh Consider that some triggers are significantly more common than others. Child sexual abuse is a distressing topic even for people that aren't necessarily "triggered" by it. When we can predict ahead of time that content in pre-prepared media will be distressing, we should make an effort to state that the topic is included. Individuals with triggers don't expect strangers to censor their persoanl conversations, they just appreciate warning before being presented with material that contains common triggers.
I've dealt with Self Harm, Suicidal Thoughts and Attempts, Sexual Assault, and PTSD... because yeah. I honestly will almost always avoid a video or class that goes into Sexual Assault. I had one teacher that let me do outside work because it was the primary topic for 2 classes. But, if I'm warned about the Self Harm and Suicidal thought issues before hand I may not avoid watching the video, but go in prepared that thoughts may occur and to prepare myself. My PTSD issue is from a whole other issue that I can't be warned about, so I just deal with what triggers it. Oh, I also have physical triggers from flashing lights and repetitive nosies, so I just have to stay out of those as much as possible. That's me personally though. The phrase I'm triggered over piddly things that are just annoyances instead of actual issues has gotten annoying though. It minimalizes what the word actually means to something small and insignificant (like I'm triggered that my small popcorn cost $10!).
I'm on the fence about trigger warnings but I hope you didn't miss anything in those two classes that is relevant to what you'll be expected to do in your professional role. I'd prefer to think my doctor to couldn't have graduated without learning about blunt force trauma injuries whether or not her dad used to hit her.
@@TheAgavi Education doesn't exist just to make people into better wage labourers. Get some perspective and also stop being paranoid about things like untrained doctors that obviously aren't real.
Oliver Dude, I'm a philosophy major. I'm all about learning for its own sake but when I go to a professional I want them to be appropriately trained - if they'velearned more than what their job requires of them then great so long as they haven'tlearned less. The doctor example is just an exaggeration to make a point. I'm just saying that, given the choice between 2 people to do a job I'll pick the one who knows more.
Agree... but also, could you please watch your capitalization? Sorry, I know it's petty, I just die a little inside every time I see blatantly improper capitalization in an otherwise well-written piece. Thank you.
the hardest part about having ocd is the very... specific and strange worries. it really sucks when you’re the only person that gets immense fear and anxiety from something ridiculous and trivial and there arent any trigger warnings the way i’d describe it is you’re watching a casual video unrelated to heart disease and someone is like “my grandpa had a heart transplant” then when you’re about to celebrate not having intrusive thoughts and compulsions your brain goes “oh yeah btw if you don’t go eat broccoli you’ll get heart disease” except my worry isnt about heart disease im too scared to type it
I understand, my friend gets OCD from mentions of specific disease. It must be hard, because as a society we can't stop discussing disease that affect millions, and those who suffer from it also have a right to talk. And even a trigger warning mentioning the name would already be triggering.
I have a mom with PTSD, and it can be absolutely life threatening. Some of the trigger warnings are about hurt feelings though. Some trigger warnings can be quite condescending when they are talking about rather average subjects. "There is violence portrayed in the movie you are about to watch". Yeah, there is portrayed violence in basically any movie. That would be condescending. If it on the other hand was something along the lines of "There is gratuitous realistically depicted graphical violence in the movie you are about to watch" there is more of a point. On the other hand, if you are on a course to become a Doctor, Police Officer, Fireman, or other similar professions where extreme violence is likely to occur, then a trigger warning on violent content may be a bad idea. In this case you can let the people in question experience this unexpected violence in a safe setting. They need to be capable of acting even with unexpected violence, blood and gore around them, bleeding and dying people, and having them opt out or mentally hardening themselves prior could be a detriment. You could even say if someone is afraid of blood tries to become a police officer, it may be a good idea to catch them early and figure it out. I am not saying I am 100% right on this matter, but it is a complicated issue, and the trigger warning advocates I have heard (and the channels that are heavy advocates extreme use of trigger warnings) advocate for some quite condescending levels of trigger warnings.
i just graduated from a very liberal institution and not once in my four years there did i ever see a trigger warning for "someone else's opinions" or because people "their feelings might get hurt." trigger warnings always preceded content depicting assault, abuse, racially charged violence, images of things like body horror which could cause anxiety/panic attacks, etc. the idea that liberal institutions put trigger warnings on absolutely everything and therefore their students won't be able to "deal with the real world" is an absurd one put forward by people who have seen random tumblr posts which do misuse trigger warnings and say things like "tw: republicans." trigger warnings, as pointed out in this video, allow people to deal with their trauma at a pace that's helpful to them and doesn't force them to confront it in a public space, so that they can "deal with the real world." forcing people to relive their trauma in unhealthy ways doesn't better prepare them for the real world, and saying that it does is honestly ridiculous.
Trigger warnings are I think, courteous in the classroom. Because then you've got advanced warning and it won't come out of nowhere. I have anxiety rather than ptsd and only very specific things trigger a panic attack, but I've always been able to avoid a panic attack or at least felt much better when I was warned beforehand. I've never left the room because of a warning. I've just alerted my brain that we're gonna see/hear some stuff so it doesn't utterly blindside me. What makes an attack far more distressing is when it comes out of nowhere and you had no opportunity to put your shields up and it can ruin your day. I've had my day ruined by random triggers which I still can't explain, nor can anyone warn for them. It knocks you off balance and it takes a lot of work to put yourself right. The problem is Trigger Warnings are mistaken for something that just makes someone uncomfortable. Back in the early 2000s on fanfiction.net, these were called squicks. A squick is something that makes you massively uncomfortable but doesn't necessarily trigger PTSD or Anxiety. Example: Daddy kink is a squick of mine. I don't like it when it's out there in the mainstream untagged just without warning. I've been accused of kinkshaming for expressing my justified frustration with the lack of appropriate tagging or warning. In the early 2000s it wasn't judged if someone said 'hey this squicks me so can we not?' It wasn't a condemnation. It was just 'oh okay cool, I'll talk about this with someone else then.' Bring back squicks. Triggers aren't 'I feel uncomfortable talking about this.' Those are squicks. Triggers ARE 'this topic could bring back painful or traumatic memories or provoke a nasty panic attack.'
The same things that may be triggering to PTSD sufferers may also be too graphic for those without PTSD. I personally don't like to watch violently graphic things but I've never been a victim of assault. So I think trigger warnings are good for the general public as well.
I find trigger warnings helpful because they help classes retain their content without harming anyone unnecessarily. If someone needs to leave during a particularly graphic scene and is given separate course work instead, it’s none of my business because it doesn’t affect my course. Someone having a debilitating panic attack in the middle of a lecture would definitely interrupt class. I honestly think of PTSD sufferers being able to step out when they need it as being similar to how I (and others with attention disorders) will sometimes get extra time to take a test-if a doctor has approved it and the school knows about it, it’s (legally) NONE OF MY DAMN BUSINESS and I move on.
Why would a person with PTSD be in that sort of class in the first place? How can anyone with PTSD study a subject which triggers them? Imagine a medical student who faints at the first sight of blood. Nonsense! If you can't do the job go do something else..
I have PTSD, and being warned about potential triggers helps me to brace myself or choose not to expose myself to certain content. Having a warning there is definitely better than suddenly being exposed to a trigger.
Great unbiased video and my new go-to when explaining the issue to friends. As someone with PTSD, I find trigger warnings to be pretty harmful and infantilizing. It's not society's collective job to insulate me from things that remind me of bad experiences. My triggers are 100% my own responsibility and managing my symptoms is something I work on without the need of collective sympathy.
Something additional and internet specific: If you put trigger warnings then people can mute that word, meaning the content is completely removed without them even having to think about it. This gets around the "even seeing the trigger warning could unintentionally trigger it" issue
“trigger warnings” make me think about my bad experiences even if the expected scenes have nothing in common with these experiences. I barely ever get triggered unless warned.
The politicised version of trigger warnings have little to do with the actual use and definition. Strawmans everywhere. No it's not about hurt feelings.
Trigger warnings aren't anything new. I remember watching the discovery channel and before shows with violence the guy would always give a trigger warning. "Warning the following program may contain scenes of graphic nature. Viewer discretion advised" or something to that effect.
super late to this comment, but thats just a warning for gore. Majority of the world is sensitive to gore so thats just a basic warning, nothing specific for victims of trauma or anything.,
@@otterr209 So your argument is we've gotten better? I don't see what it takes away from anyone for someone else to be informed that what they're about to watch might be a sensitive topic for them.
The first place I saw trigger warnings was on sites dealing with self-injury, well before the phrase became popular for just warning people about something they might find unpleasant, and I figured that was to keep people who were trying to refrain from self-injury from falling back into maladaptive coping mechanisms from seeing other people engaged in them. Kind of like not going out to the bar with your buddies if you're a recovering alcoholic. The current use of the phrase to try to shield people from the real world seems futile.
But it isn't used to shield people from the world. It's used to prevent people with ptsd to come across common triggers in situations that are public and/or to prevent people with ptsd to coms across those triggers unprepared.
I also think these warnings are good but in some places I’m worried they’re being miss/over-used like it’s one think to warn about sensitive and traumatic topics, it’s another to warn about Character death, or even just animal death in the case a chicken is shown being butchered for dinner. I feel like there is a line and I’m not sure where it is (and I would like a QUALIFIED EXPERT to tell me)
Perhaps, in educational settings, an option for the warnings. Like different topics covered, not each class, the ability to see a list of common triggers with the ability to add to it. It empowers people to be prepared if they choose it
The people who think triggers aren't real are the same ones who think all professionals are liars and the government has a frog gayification department.
No one thinks triggers aren't real... There's a difference between knowing AMYTHING could be a trigger and therefore you would either have to completely self-censor yourself or demand everyone else simply take responsibility for themelves and thinking that triggers don't exist.
I know this is a serious mental health debate, but my brain read "frog gayification" and completely ran with that mental image for a couple of minutes.
Yeah, but how many people have actual PTSD? Almost no one. It's not like universities are full of war veterans.. You can't obstruct learning for normal population just because of tiny percentage of people with disorder.
It's definitely helpful to me when there's a realistic scene of sexual assault. In the cases where there was no warning ahead of time, like the Magicians, I had no preparation and no chance of using my learned coping skills from therapy. It was so bad that I froze as soon as it started and couldn't move for an hour. I want to know when heavy, realistic sexual assault scenes will be shown. That way I can be ready with a new technique or decide to wait until I've made more progress in therapy. It really is helpful. I wish it could go back to a neutral term used for heavy PTSD triggers instead of the negative connotation of today.
I think (genuine) TW's are a good thing. On one hand, it gives people the opportunity to avoid reliving trauma they don't want to be reminded of, and on the other hand the video poster can point to the warning if someone complains and say, "Hey, I warned you and you watched it anyway, that's not my problem". It really doesn't help that kids these days think its hilarious and ironic to use the word "triggered" to take away seriousness from the meaning.
My sister has PTSD and the thing about having a less-known trigger is very true to her. Things like bakeries and geometry and whipped cream can trigger her. On the other hand, other commonly known triggers like jumpscares or terrifying images like in horror movies are also some of her triggers. I've personally become her "trigger warner", meaning whenever I see something I know would trigger her, I tell her to avoid it and don't really provide a reason either: she knows it's to help her avoid a flashback or a panic attack. This probably isn't the same for everyone with PTSD.
When I was getting my social work degree, we often talked about heavy subjects like sexual assault, child molestation, or race-related violence. I noticed that even if someone was not personally effected by these topics, they were still emotional for people to talk about. Being notified that the conversation was going to involve those topics allowed people to galvanize themselves to have a productive professional discussion about it. I believe that a trigger warning was useful in this scenario. When the teacher would spring a heavy topic on the class and wanted a discussion without putting it in the syllabus or letting us know at the beginning of class, the conversation would often devolve into moral grandstanding or disagreement much quicker.
If you go into education for social work you should already know that you will have to deal with these things and that they could come up at anytime. You are basically purposely exposing yourself to it so you should be ready at all times (at least when in class) to deal with it. Not to is like going into medicine and not being ready to talk about the body or see a humen body. or into racing and not always be open to the possibility that you could crash at anytime (you are not going to get a crash waring at the start of the race).
I've had PTSD for about 8 years of my life from a sexual assault, for me trigger warnings are unnecessary I don't tend to relate media sexual violence to my own experience. Even being raised in the Chicago ghetto seeing violence doesn't put me in a position to lose the plot like others do. For myself its about the intention of having really good thick skin and have had exposure therapy to notice the world isn't always going to accommodate to my needs. You are going to have to end up facing challenges instead of shying away from it. Having those anxiety traits should not be accommodated to your personal traits, that's highly dangerous and you will end up losing people for it.
Personally, as someone who does have slight triggers to specific things (names, noises, different sights) i think its best to give broader tws. Simple things most people notice, assault or gunshots, loud noises or strobe lights. The thing i find pretty ridiculous is when people get so specific with them. For example im in a community for a game, and someone gave a warning for a pretty tame character of the game. I find that to be silly, since if you cannot handle seeing a character, than i dont think being in the community is healthy for you. i also think people confuse triggers with 'feeling uncomfortable'. Which while yes, that can be a symptom, simply feeling slightly uncomfy doesnt mean you were triggered by it. anyways, this was a great video with scientific evidence, and no real bias or lean towards one side or another.
I can't understand why anyone would get offended by the concept of a trigger warning. "How DARE you care about others and what may upset them?" It's a few seconds of talking about something that doesn't affect me. So?
I don’t so much react to the words, but I definitely do to dramatic presentations of the acts. I always want to know if child abuse will be depicted in a film or show. When I don’t and start feeling panicky, I stop watching in order to protect myself. If I’m 2/3 of the way through a movie then it’s incredibly frustrating; I probably won’t ever finish watching it and now I’ve burned an hour.
The funny thing is movie ratings are designed to appease parents and whatever concern they have for what their children are exposed to. A more meaningful distinctions than say "sexually suggestive" or "profanity" would be something like "corruption themes" or "endorses violence"
For me, I struggle with things that trigger me into literally passing out. In elementary school, I once passed out in the middle of class after a substitute teacher described how bones break/fragment in graphic detail-- while my threshold has increased considerably since then, I am still hyper-sensitive to pain and imagined pain. This all started when I was a little kid and watched my baby brother scream and cry every time he had to receive medical treatment for a kidney disease, and ever since I have had a hard time dealing with any kind of pain, even if it's not my own. Needles and descriptions of injury, assault, etc., still get to me, but I've had experiences where trigger warnings saved me. They help me position myself so that if I were to pass out, I wouldn't physically harm or endanger myself (which has happened in the past, e.g. the time I woke up with a giant gash across my forehead after my head slammed into something when I fainted), and I can start doing mental exercises that I developed as a teen that help me focus and ground myself when I feel myself getting woozy and about to faint. I can count several times when I almost passed out but was able to hold on because the trigger warnings told me ahead of time to start doing those exercises in my head. Those exercises allow me to listen and take in the content (esp during college lectures) but also distance myself emotionally, and I always appreciate having the advance time to prepare myself not only emotionally and mentally but also to secure my physical safety. I often see people being like, "but being exposed to your triggers helps you desensitize yourself and increases you tolerance for it," and I'm like yeah, I have been working for nearly my entirely life to desensitize myself and have made huge improvements-- but a stranger has no right to control my treatment, and I deserve the right to work on my triggers in safe situations where I won't harm myself should I pass out.
I remember health class in high school where my grandfather was dying of cancer in my living room (we opted for hospice in home). We had a class on cancer, and I almost broke down in the middle of class. I attempted to leave, but despite receiving an email from our guidance counselors stating I should be allowed to leave at any time, my health teacher would "not let me" leave. This was after her pointedly mentioning my weight in a class about eating disorders ( I had disordered eating to deal with the trauma of my adoptive father dying in my living room in front of me and helping change his diapers), and just general spiteful comments in my direction. I ended up being spoken to by the VP of the school, but nothing came of it. Trigger warnings certainly would have been extremely helpful in my case.
What about trigger warnings online ? Some people with addiction will purposely seek some images with trigger warnings to trigger themselves as part of their disorders. I don't think we should stop putting trigger warnings on images of self harm, drug abuse or eating disorders. But we need to take it into consideration too
I literally do not understand how a trigger warning is a violation of free speech. That's like saying a a movie synopsis is a violation of free speech.
How does it stifle free speech?!? I’ve heard about wild claims but how the f is warning someone about something that might cause them trauma stifle free speech.
Some people who claim to be "triggered" demand some subjects not to be discussed. Some lecturers reported they resorted to self-censorship in order not to upset students.
It's funny to me. You say exposure therapy is a far cry from a classroom. But an exposure therapy for me, with my PTSD from school bullying, actually being hit, kicked, tripped, etc. by other kids, sitting in a (child's) classroom might be part of my potential exposure therapy! Haha.
When they originally came along, they made some sense. They were used for people who had actually suffered serious trauma, like sexual assault, loss of loved ones, etc. That's the bit where I agree with the pro trigger-warning people. Unfortunately they've since morphed into being used for any topic where the subject matter is 'potentially' difficult, regardless of existing and previous trauma, such as old footage containing racial stereotypes, or discussion of edgy comedy. At that point I start to agree with the anti trigger-warning side, where they've become a coddling mechanism that teaches people to be weak and frankly to never grow up. Like most things, there's good and bad, and even a good idea can be taken to an extreme where it flips.
I live in an area in Israel that was under missile attacks in 2006, so whenever I hear a sound that resembles a Red Alert siren (meaning we should get into the shelter) my heart skips a beat. It's a very minor reaction compared to people with actual PTSD, but it's uncomfortable nonetheless.
Okay, ngl I put off watching this video for a while because I was worried how it would be handled, and I am so so glad I watched it. I knew SciShow was good, and I'm really glad that Psych covered this the way it did. Trigger Warnings are a really important, though difficult, subject. Thank you for doing such an excellent job with a sensitive issue.
Non-specific and unintrusive content warnings are common on British TV, for both factual and drama. I don't see how putting content warnings before RU-vid videos or forewarning students before viewing disturbing imagery is any different. However we really shouldn't be mollycoddling mentally capable adults who, if they do suffer from certain conditions, should be able to manage it to a certain degree.
I believe the best way to overcome a traumatic experience is to face them the same way you would overcome your fear. I've been through traumatic experiences when I was a kid. And I had to deal with reminders all the time.It actually helped me overcome it years later. But it also seems like trigger warnings are being misused by people who are simply offended. And it's also being used as an excuse for censorship.This video pointed out legit reasons for trigger warnings. And a warning would be nice. But completely avoiding it doesn't help either.
Hopefully Scishow understands that the way they did this video is the right way to do science, it really seems some channels are willing to go into peusdo-science for topic like theses and are heavily biased. This is a good video because it is informative and not narrative.
I have aspergers and various anxiety issues and get triggered by people moving (substantial quantities) of my things, but if I am informed in advance it almost entirely alleviated the affect storm or panic attack it would trigger (I still get anxious but much less so So in cases other than PTSD I have firsthand (personal) experience that they work
So, it's not trigger warnings that I care about. It's a little notification blurb that's easy to ignore. Sometimes it's about things that are a bit silly. But, I don't care about that either. No, what I care about is a set of corollaries that perhaps if something requires a trigger warning, maybe you shouldn't say it at all. Or that someone is basically doing the equivalent of committing assault if they neglect one. It's a nice little polite thing to do when you start talking about something. According to the comments here it seems to help some people choose their own coping strategies. And the video gives a couple of fairly plausible reasons why that might be the case. But people can't count on them always being there. And people have to eventually learn to live in the wide-wide world. Also, some triggers are so weird that nobody would ever think to put in a trigger warning. So, maybe someone neglecting a trigger warning in some case is perhaps a bit rude, it's certainly not a form of assault. I, personally, have some triggers (that have lessened greatly over time) over various kinds of bullying behavior that show up sometimes even in contexts in which there was no bullying. They provoke a fight or flight reflex, and in my early twenties were occasionally kind of hard to deal with a couple of times. But, they aren't/weren't someone else's responsibility to step around. If someone else was aware of them, or noticed my sudden marked change in demeanor, that was nice, but certainly not something I expected, nor did I consider it in any way a form of assault if people just ignored it or didn't know.
I was born with one leg, and something I had to learn young: this is no one's burden to bear but my own. If I become reliant on others, this is to my detriment, because the days where no one else is around are the days I'll suffer for it. It does me no good to cry and moan about my disability, and instead I should hunker down and be ready to face the obstacles it entails. I personally would agree with the arguments *against* trigger warnings for that reason: it does no good to dwell on how the trauma is unfair or to rely on others to catch you, but it does loads of good to come to terms with it and face it head on, however difficult that may be. FFS, as this video points out, someone with a trigger for men standing in a doorway or the like doesn't even HAVE that option: there is no way for others to accommodate them. And given that, if some must and can get over PTSD without the warnings, I feel it's fair to argue everyone can. Sure, they *might* be helpful in some way, but when we simply stack risk vs. reward here, I doubt the reward is that high whilst quite frankly, I think there's another risk factor in play here: people who *DON'T* have any form of PTSD but love hamming it up for attention. These don't get called out because if you do, you look like an ass, but 100% there are people who crave trigger warnings as a way to steer the discussion to being about them. I feel like most people that use the phrase/request the phrase don't even *have* PTSD, because seemingly overnight, the alleged population with PTSD increased what felt like tenfold as soon as tactics such as trigger warnings became a thing. You might say okay, but shouldn't we focus on the true victims of PTSD and not let such individuals color our opinions about trigger warnings? Ideally, yes, but realistically I think we have to acknowledge this for an apt assessment of what they do. I feel such individuals downplay actual PTSD and make it more likely that others won't take PTSD seriously, *precisely* because they've had a negative encounter with someone hamming up their need for trigger warnings that wasn't actually genuine. I see risk of making the situation worse for actual PTSD victims if we enable a system with debated, limited benefit that yes, it does feel like self-centered individuals have co-opted.
I hate those videos on Instagram of car crashes and violent fights and stuff like that and the people who upload them don't even put a trigger warning. I'm glad Instagram have started to but a sensitive content warning on some videos because you see videos like this all the time your feed by accounts you acctually follow because they're promoting accounts that post these kind of videos.
Yep. A warning in itself has a rather negative effect on me. It's the worst to be honest because curiosity says I wanna know what the person is gonna talk about while feeling panic on the inside in anticipation and being so scared of my reaction in the end that I'll definitely say no but my vivid imagination is gonna give me intrusive thoughts about the thing anyway. Right now I have certain words on Twitter muted and asked friends to avoid certain topics all together as I wait to be further into therapy.
I honestly thought trigger warnings were just ways for companies to say" we warned you, it's not our fault" rather than actually doing something for ones affected with PTSD, good to know it might actually do something.
I've become quite sceptical of the label PTSD; Working in mental health I see the term PTSD on a lot of patient notes written in a way that implies there is something wrong with them, but when you get to know them and give them the chance to talk about what happened to them you will often find they are an ordinary person having an ordinary reaction to extraordinary circumstances, and you realise your reaction would be the same if it happened to you.
in my 9th grade geology class, we were talking about the effects of volcanic eruptions. My teacher put on a clip from a movie where a group of people were trying to row away from an eruption, but sulfuric acid from the eruption was turning the water corrosive. The older woman in the boat got out into the water and pushed the boat faster, screaming the whole way. i really, really wish my teacher warned us about that. I can do gore, I can do death and blood and all that, but the sound of someone screaming specifically is what sets me off, and I absolutely had a panic attack on the bus ride home about it. I *hated* that clip so much.
I do not always like trigger warnings because that in some cases, and I have found this out the hard way, they do not end up creating safe spaces. Here is an example: I was going to present/have presented information that was triggering, and special people to me have unfortunately turned around and told me that because it was triggering, they could not stay. This has unfortunately happened a few times. They left me when I truly needed their support and understanding as I had made myself vulnerable in a way I knew they could especially understand.
This is why I also feel uneasy about trigger warnings. If I open up about my trauma, I'd hope people would listen and not make me feel like it's a huge issue and that I'm somehow abusing them by telling my story. Having an understanding audience is a healing experience. At the same time though I understand if some people are traumatized the same way, it could be too much for them. But for my part, I want to listen, even if it gave me anxiety, because I feel it's important to just be there and be sympathetic.
I'm grateful for the objective discussion, but as someone with flashbacks I don't see how placebo medicating or panic buttons even remotely compare. A trigger is sudden and not consciously scheduled to happen or picked out beforehand; its not tension building up like a spooky movie to a nervous but conscious decision for safety. It's like comparing a heart attack to chronic aches. PTSD isn't a chosen fear: it's a condition, hammered into you like an experienced soldier. Asomatic. I hope scientists who study and discuss flashbacks in the future listen to therapists and patients for ideas.
TWs aren't just good for people with PTSD. Those who struggle with addiction, or have sensory issues or epilepsy (etc.) can also benefit from TWs. I get migraines and so things that might trigger epilepsy in some people can also trigger my aura migraines (such as strobe lighting).
i'm all for trigger warnings. god knows how many times one of my closest has suffered panic attacks because a movie or show suddenly blindsided her with strangulation (her trigger). i want her to be able to enjoy media without constantly fearing and worrying that she will suddenly be reminded of a traumatic time in her past. on that note, the website doesthedogdie.com also has similar pages for other possible triggers, and to those with ptsd it may help them to check out said pages to know what movies contain triggering content. stay safe, y'all
Well in that case they shouldn't exist at all because no one can decide that they exist. Either those who don't need them decide or the nutjobs run the asylum which is clearly an even less valid option.
+Guin Kams Yeah, bad arguments and even worse sentence structure makes for an incomprehensible comment. I agree with you. And would add, no one can decide for someone else when they are triggered. I see a lot of commenters here who can tell if someone has PTSD just like that. They seem to know precisely who is or is not a 'genuine' trauma survivor. So impressive. All mind readers here.
The issue I have found in the real world is that many people don't use 'Trigger Warning' for some medical issue, they use it to censor debate. I know two people who if certain political figures names come up in conversation, will say 'Hey, Trigger Warning!' and then refuse to allow such conversation to go on, as they'll get violent... As a specific example. It is an incident of people using a real condition (PTSD) in order to dictate what is and isn't an allowed subject, which is a miss-use of the terminology, and belittles those who actually need such things.
I don’t like Sexually Violent material, it’s got nothing to do with Trauma it’s a Personal Preference. So I appreciate the Trigger Warnings. As a Parent I also appreciate them so my kids are informed (Yes, I let them choose for themselves for the most part 🤗).
Why should we give you a trigger warning on things that just make you uncomfortable? It is that right there that is causing the issues and turning trigger warnings political. You want a content warning. And that is fine to a point but said content warnings are being used by fully grown adult students to avoid whole classes or to push their beliefs or demands onto others.
I experience mild triggers everyday But I'm still against trigger warnings. Ofcourse if it was really serious it might be an issue. For most of them I do these tic things and noises and short curse words or twitchings. It's kind of bothersome. I must also arrange things in symmetrical patterns or step on a certain streetstone or line on the ground. It's my problem that I am this way. It's no one else's.
Personal point about trigger warning: if something is going to turn me into a crying wreck for the rest of the day, might as well let me no so I can be prepared 🤷♀️
I once shared a petition including graphic photos about China's Yulin Dog Festival where they slaughter tens of thousands of dogs, cats and other animals in horrendous ways ... got huge backlash for the photos, even though my intent was to gather international support ... the share got over a hundred signatures and nearly as many shocked/angry replies, and a few blocked friends ... adding a trigger warning to such a post would have been nice, but I didn't know how to block out the image on the petition link's share ...
as an abuse survivor, i am really in support of trigger warnings, and i think they're kind of something that we /need/ on the internet, where people love to post all kinds of horrifying things just for the shock value.
Important trigger warnings like flashing lights are needed, but it’s just turned into EVERYTHING that could potentially trigger someone needs to have a TW? No. If you’re triggered by something as stupid as a certain size font, just get off the internet, go see a therapist. For example, someone almost strangled me to death with a charging cord earlier in the year, I’m not going to totally freak out if I see someone holding a charging cord.
I wish they had a website or something for people with PTSD and conditions like it where they could see what books, tv shows, and movies would be triggering to them, though maybe it should be carefully worked on because I'm guessing some may get triggered by typing or seeing words about their triggers.
Nope Nope yes. And I don't see why some people get so upset about this. There is a particular violent scene that often shows up in movies I would just prefer not having to see. I simply look away or leave the room for a few minutes and then I am back. It has never inconvenienced any friends or classmates that I have watched movies with and it reduces the potential stress that I associate with this action.
Trigger warnings are rarely about PTSD. On collages it's people who don't want to get exposed to different ideas for example blacks hearing about black crime stats, women hearing about biological differences etc.
I have a really obscure phobia that cause me to panic upon the sight of said thing but since I’m one of like probably 100 people in this country that is scared of said thing I have absolutely no warnings so by the time I am able to look away it’s pretty much too late
Post view comment: A trigger is assigned in one of two ways, intentionally through training or through the chaos of the experience. How we react makes almost all the difference in the world, hence training/imposed conditioning because nature doesn't always get it right. Our reactive nature is our best defense. Nature, in it's own way knows this too. Make the most of it.
