A recent study highlights the concerning effects of wildfires: "We're overlooking these mental health impacts far too often."

New evidence suggests a link between bushfires and mental health, as the use of medication to treat conditions such as depression and anxiety increases after these events.

What happend?

 Medical Xpress reported on a study by researchers at the University of Washington that found an increase in prescriptions for depression and anxiety or mood stabilizers in the six weeks after the fires.The team used prescription data, commercial insurance claims and pharmacy records. The study focused on California and was approximated to the influence of 25 large fires throughout the state from 2011 to 2018.

Although many studies look at the physical effects of fires, there is very little focus on the effects of mental health after the authors."There are a lot of vulnerable people and these fires can have a significant impact on mental health and we need to be prepared."

Why is this study worth paying attention to? 

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration says that as the Earth continues to heat up, we can expect longer and more severe wildfire seasons. In California, the situation has gotten so bad that one major insurance company has decided to stop offering new policies in the state. But it's not just California that will feel the effects of wildfires in the coming decades — even regions that have been relatively safe from these natural disasters will need to start preparing for them as global temperatures continue to rise, according to a research team. One study estimated that by mid-century, more than 125 million Americans will be exposed to at least one day of exposure to unhealthy air quality, largely due to increased wildfires. Meanwhile, wildfire smoke isn't the only air pollutant linked to mental health. For example, air pollution in China is linked to higher suicide rates among the elderly.

What is being done about wildfire smoke?

One way to help curb the health impacts of increasingly severe wildfire seasons is to reduce our reliance on earth-heating energy sources like natural gas, oil and coal. To this end, cities around the world are implementing greener policies to reduce pollution. For example, New York City will require all Lyft and Uber rides to be electric by 2030. In addition, Tokyo requires most new buildings to install solar panels, and Los Angeles bans the use of natural gas for electricity generation in all new buildings.

You can get involved by signing up for community solar, buying an induction cooker or installing your own solar panels.