I'm currently doing the read-through of the first draft of my second novel. This one is from the POV of a teen MTF and the issues she faces, including dealing with suicidal thoughts.

Knowing this, I wonder if it wouldn't be worthwhile to have a trigger warnings on the back cover and/or after the title page, as well as in any the listing for the book at any online retailers (when the time comes).

Am I overthinking this?

I'm sure your second novel will be good. Could you be more specific about trigger warnings.

Well, I discuss the MTF's dyphoria in detail. That could be triggering to some. Due to her dysphoria, she experiences suicidal thoughts. There's another trigger.

I think it's probably a good idea, in some form. I mean other forms of media get content advisory notices where it's felt some listeners, readers or viewers may feel distressed in perusing that media.

It isn't standard to do that in the industry, so it might be hard to do that unless you are self publishing. Generally it is just mentioned in the summary on the back cover or inside flap of the book.

I would say, 'God No!' but then I get very miffed about trigger warnings, I find them oversensitive. Anything could trigger a sadness and it's part of the emotional experience of reading a book.

As I learn more about PTSD, anxiety, depression, and other mental illnesses, trigger warnings seem like good ideas. It's not being oversensitive, it's the opposite. It's addressing ableism with regards to mental illness.

Perhaps there are those who are oversensitive at times. But I'd rather err on the side of caution and cater to the oversensitive rather than triggering an episode for persons who would be genuinely triggered.

But a book is not like a forum post or a tweet, the reader already makes a more informed choice before they read it. Someone reading your book will have either read your previous or be intrigued by the ideas on the blurb. More likely then not they will be prompted to it on a search engine by a previous choice. They will be aware of the type of content that is inside and they will be able to make a proper decision on whether they feel up to the task of reading it.

Besides, such stress or trauma could be triggered by any such things. I knew a person who met a very unpleasant person in a fair and feels edgy around the smell of candyfloss. They could be triggered by a song, a perfectly innocent expression, an eye colour, a tone of voice. It might not be the feelings of despair you describe but the lyrics of a nursery rhyme you mention that send shivers up a reader's spine. The number of people triggered by what you are warning them about will probably be infinitesimal.

Above all, the point of writing is trigger emotions and to bond previous memory with what you are describing. If a person doesn't want to feel something, don't read (or at least use the blurb to pick something more suited to current mood). That said, I'm reading a book called 'The Anatomy of Melancholy' and it makes me life twice as much as it makes me sad.

People who are going through bad times shouldn't be warned away from sharing and reliving those experiences with a fictional character, if anything, it helps them through it. Instead of trigger warnings, there should be huge stickers saying, 'Come! Share this with me.'

Okay, those are some very good points. Thanks, Pica.

I have PTSD and suicide is a definite trigger.  That's not me being "sad" because a story evokes a feeling. I'm a bit confused about how you can make an informed choice about potential triggers before you read it. You can read the blurb and reviews but that doesn't tell you all that's going to be in the book. If it's obvious the book is going to have suicidal themes, great. I can make an informed choice. But that's not always in the blurb, and if it's not, then it can be hard to be 1/2 through a book and stumble into that.  I've worked through my suicide triggers fairly well, so now I could probably read that and be ok. I can't read books with childhood sexual abuse and be ok. Someday hopefully, but right now it just sends me spinning down the rabbit hole.

I'm not saying you should have trigger warning, I just felt like Pica's take doesn't necessarily take in the PTSD experience which you specifically mentioned. YMMV (did I do that right? I've never used the "your mileage may vary" thing")

Okay, yeah, this does give me another perspective.

Erring on the side of caution seems to be the best idea here.