Exploring the Mental Health Toll of the L.A. Wildfires

Sometimes, we imagine that disasters or other tragic events only happen outside of our communities. “As clinicians, we’re trained to help others,” adult and geriatric psychiatrist C. Freeman, M.D., M.B.A., said, “but there are some occasions when we need to help ourselves, too, and there’s no real way to prepare ourselves for that.”

Based in Southern California, Freeman is a member of APA’s Area 6 Council. The wildfires that decimated whole communities earlier this year occurred just a few miles away from her neighborhood. Some of her colleagues lost their homes.

“Having born witness to the fires, having helped colleagues recover, I have seen how devastating it has been,” Freeman said. “When we are feeling hopeless or helpless, though, being able to take action can really help us mobilize and make a difference.”

Freeman and other psychiatrists will mobilize at this year’s Annual Meeting, leading a session aimed at helping attendees understand the mental health toll of the wildfires while also offering strategies to build resilience in their own communities when disasters strike. The session will take place today from 3:45 – 5:15 p.m. PT in Room 408A.

“This session was put together quickly, because we are in Los Angeles and have to recognize the profound impact these wildfires have had on our host city,” said fellow panelist Robin Cooper, M.D., co-founder and president of the Climate Psychiatry Alliance. “We want to build on the experiences in L.A. and inform our members about this event, as well as how to prepare themselves and their own communities.”

Climate-driven disasters are not unique to California, Cooper said, pointing to Asheville, North Carolina, which was devastated by Hurricane Helene last fall, and the destruction caused by massive floods in Kentucky this past February.

Though this will not be a training session, the panelists will discuss psychological first aid and ways in which psychiatrists and district branches can prepare themselves to address the mental health toll of climate-driven disasters, which are becoming more frequent and destructive.

Eric Rafla-Yuan, M.D., chair of APA’s Social Determinants of Mental Health Caucus, will highlight how systemic inequities, such as socioeconomic status, housing insecurity, and access to care, shape mental health outcomes in the aftermath of disasters. “We are seeing an increasing number of climate disasters that have predictable effects on housing, job loss, and displacement,” he said. “This is going to continue, and we want to draw people’s attention to how they are connected to climate change, mental health, and the social determinants of health.”

As the session is being held in direct response to the wildfires, the presenters are hoping to find a way to incorporate the voices of those with lived experiences. “We want to recognize the way that this has impacted those who have actually lived through it,” Cooper said. “It’s regretful that this event of the L.A. fires is an opportunity to talk about these issues. We don’t want these opportunities, but when they happen, they awaken us in important ways.” ■

(Image: Getty Images/iStock/Carsten Schertzer)