Mental issues from Fort McMurray fire linger but human contact helps: study
Abbotsford NewsOct 29, 2018
The immense wildfire that scorched
Newly published research suggests the fire cast a lasting shadow over the lives of many residents who are still experiencing elevated rates of depression and related mental-health problems.
"There's been a big jump," said
But the research also revealed a way to help dispel the darkness.
Agyapong was working in
When he returned to his clinical practice in the city, after the immediate chaos subsided, he realized he had a chance to learn something about resilience.
"We thought it was an opportune time to change the focus to actually looking at the mental-health impacts of the
Agyapong and his colleagues developed an extensive survey that included questions about age, employment, where people were before the fire, how exposed they were, how much media they followed and their clinical history.
VIDEO: Develop a personal wildfire plan, B.C. fire chief says
The team received 486 completed responses.
Previously reported results found the rate of probable post-traumatic stress disorder was 12.8 per cent — more than 10 times the normal rate for
Agyapong's research used standard psychiatric tests to conclude the fire correlated to a much broader set of problems.
The survey found that six months after flames tore through parts of the city, almost 15 per cent of respondents were suffering from some type of major depressive disorder. The rate was 17 per cent for women and 10 per cent for men. The average
Those disorders were also associated with substance abuse.
"We found that those that presented with (depressive disorder) were far more likely to present with alcohol use disorder and substance use disorder as well as nicotine dependence," Agyapong said.
The survey found those with depression symptoms were roughly twice as likely to abuse drugs and alcohol.
Preliminary results from further studies suggest those problems persist.
The researchers surveyed people who were visiting a health-care facility for any reason in
Agyapong cautioned that the data from that survey hasn't been published and isn't comparable to the previous survey. Still, he suggests that if one-quarter of people seeing their family doctor have a major depressive disorder, "that's a huge proportion."
"We found out 15 per cent fulfil the criteria for an alcohol use disorder and nine per cent fulfil the criteria for a substance abuse disorder. These are large numbers that we cannot just discount."
Agyapong's study also looked at what kept people resilient and protected them. The biggest single factor was human contact and support.
"Those who reported they received no support were about 13 times more likely to present with a major depressive disorder compared to those who reported they received high levels of support.
Emotional and social support as simple as a phone call were more important than material support from governments or the
"Receiving support from family and friends can actually protect you from possible major depressive disorder," Agyapong said.
Although it doesn't have before-and-after numbers, the department reports having 51,084 client "contacts" about mental health between
"Wildfire disasters are associated with a negative impact on the mental and physical health of those affected and those effects can be delayed in onset and can persist over several years," said spokeswoman
Agyapong said the survey has implications for any community that suffers a disaster.
"It's important for the community to pull together and for family members, friends, and relatives of people to actually reach out to them on the phone and offer every practical help that they can be able to offer.
"It's not just help in the moment. It's also help that's going to protect their mental health down the line."