No, I don't get triggered by them. If anything, they remind me how lucky I am to not be put in such situations.

If someone has a terrible disease, it reminds me that some people have it worse than me and that if they can be positive (despite having a terminal illness, for example), then so can I. And if people are devastated by a death, that reminds me of how devastated people would be if I died.

So I guess they're motivating to me, and they encourage me to help out when someone is in need. For example, Hurricane Katrina. When I saw the disaster and deaths, it really made me want to help out in any way I could, so I donated money to their cause. Did the same for the Boston Marathon bombings.

It's all about perspective.

Sorry you get triggered, though. I agree with Shazerac that you can maybe use the "info" button or Google ahead of time to learn more about the documentary.