[user104658]

Yeah Brillo don't ruin what could have been a perfectly good point with daft phrases like "PC Gone Mad"!

There's a point in there somewhere. It should be assumed that, whilst it is a major issue and a large number of people ARE affected, the majority of students on a course will not have any related trigger issues and those students also have to be considered. That's where it gets a bit theoretical but, given that the usefulness of trigger warnings is also purely theoretical (to my knowledge, it has never been extensively studied), I think still valid;

Human beings are social animals. We constantly perceive invisible social cues from those around us and our behaviour and psychology adapts accordingly, and that needs to be taken into account before stating that you are about to approach a topic that "may" trigger anxiety ... ... ... because effectively what you are saying is "This definitely makes some people anxious!". The result of that, is that it immediately becomes MORE likely to make OTHERS anxious. It's a contentious issue but there is a theory - and one that I actually believe, personally - that anxiety can be "infectious". In the same way that seeing someone yawn makes you yawn... being told (and therefore becoming aware) that people around you are anxious kicks in a primordial instinct to also be anxious. In simple terms, it promotes on a subliminal level; "Other people are in a fight or flight state. Should I be in a fight or flight state?? Is there danger??"