From the heartbreak of watching the beautiful places in the world burn, to the frustration of watching elected officials continue to support the oil and gas industry, to having to flee for ones life due to wildfires or floods, climate change effects all of us. A recent CBC article summarized a new study that suggested that nearly 2/3rds of adults who have evacuated due to a wildfire experience symptoms of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) months after the experience, while a 1/4 may develop significant symptoms of depression and anxiety. A lack of resources for dealing with the mental health impacts of wildfires is also noted in the article.
Researchers at McMaster University have taken steps to fill in some of the gaps through creation of the CanEMERG website which aims to provide resources, support and tools to survivors of climate disasters as well as other traumatic experiences. The site contains information about normal responses to trauma, a self-assessment tool, a list of resources searchable by province and territory and a selection of tools for managing and improving mental health. The site is currently in “beta mode”, and promises more features are on the way.
I highly recommend this site to survivors of climate disasters and those of us who provide services to them. Climate change effects all of us