Fort Mac mental issues linger, but there’s hope

EDMONTON The massive wildfire that scorched Fort McMurray in 2016 may have blackened more than homes.

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 Vincent Agyapong, a psychiatrist and University of Alberta professor whose paper was published Saturday in the International Journal of Mental Health and Addictions.

But the research also revealed a way to help dispel the darkness.

Agyapong was working in Fort McMurray when the fire that came to be known as “The Beast” hit the city that May. He helped patients in the hospital get to safety before fleeing. 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.

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.

The team received 486 completed responses.

Previously reported results found the rate of probable posttraumatic stress disorder was 12.8 per cent — more than 10 times the normal rate for Alberta.

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 Alberta rate is 3.3 per cent.

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 November 2017, 18 months after the fire. Nearly one-quarter of respondents met the criteria for anxiety disorders and more than 13 per cent for PTSD.

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 Red Cross, Agyapong found.

It even helped with the loss of a home or business.

“Receiving support from family and friends can actually protect you from possible major depressive disorder,” Agyapong said.