Dubai, United Arab Emirates (CNN) – The results of a new study indicate that public health leaders trying to help people fleeing… Forest fires Immense in the Texas Panhandle region of Texas, they should pay close attention toPsychological health of the population, and their physical safety.
Wildfires pose an obvious direct threat to physical health, but a study of more than 7 million people who lived near large wildfires in California found that the fires are also associated with significant changes in mental health.
The study, published in the medical journal JAMA Network Open, this week looked at requests for medications for mental health management among people living close to where the wildfires occurred.
Residents participating in the study lived near 25 large wildfires in California between 2011 and 2018.
When wildfires struck the region, researchers found a statistically significant increase in requests for antidepressants, mood stabilizing medications, and anxiety-reducing medications, compared to the period before the wildfires.
However, there was no increase in the number of prescriptions for antipsychotics or hypnotics.
The study showed that a greater number of increased prescriptions were issued to women and the elderly.
To make sure the trends were related to need, the researchers also looked at the number of prescriptions for statins, that is, medications that help with heart health. Demand for these did not increase when wildfires were nearby.
This study has some limitations, including that it relies on records of commercial claims data, which means it can only track trends among people with health insurance.
People living in rural areas, which are more vulnerable to wildfires, are often underserved when it comes to mental health care.
These numbers cannot be captured by prescription data, so the need for mental health treatment after bushfires may, in fact, be higher.
Other research has found an increased risk of anxiety and depression in people exposed to higher concentrations of particulate pollution, or soot, produced by large wildfires.
“Typically, a lot of work has been done to look at psychological distress caused by wildfires, especially after a disaster,” said Dr. Jyoti Mishra, co-director of the Climate Change and Mental Health Initiative at the University of California, San Diego, and assistant professor of psychiatry at the University of California San Diego. “Recruit people before a disaster strikes and then look at how their mental health or other symptoms change over time.”
Mishra was not involved in the new research, but her own 2023 study showed that residents who lived near the Camp Fire in California experienced increased mental health problems, some of which became chronic.
“This latest study is important because it confirms the great distress people feel in the context of wildfires,” she said.
It is common to feel shocked, depressed, or hopeless when someone loses their home or a loved one, regardless of the reason. But research has also shown that wildfires may increase the risk of PTSD and sleep problems even in people who have never suffered from mental health problems before.
Exposure to wildfires has also been associated with an increase in alcohol and drug use disorders, as well as anxiety and depression.
The climate crisis is likely to expose more adults and children to wildfires. In 2020 alone, the United States lost 8 million acres to wildfires. The number of fires has increased significantly and the places most at risk have become closer to the population.
The authors of the new study say they hope it will help public health officials make mental health care a priority for people exposed to wildfires, and ensure they have access to mental health services and programs that promote resilience before, during and after these disasters.
2024-03-05 07:30:18
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