Wildfire Smoke Linked to Increased Odds of ED Visits for Mental Health
WEDNESDAY, April 16, 2025 -- Wildfire smoke exposure is associated with increased odds of subsequent emergency department visits for mental health conditions, according to a study published online April 4 in JAMA Network Open.
Youn Soo Jung, Ph.D., from Stanford University in California, and colleagues examined whether wildfire-specific fine particulate matter (PM2.5; particle size of 2.5 microns or smaller) exposure was associated with emergency department visits for mental health conditions during the 2020 California wildfire season in a cross-sectional study.
The researchers found 86,609 emergency department visits for mental health conditions were recorded between July and December 2020. Visits included psychoactive substance use, non-mood psychotic disorders, anxiety, depression, and other mood-affective disorders (27.6, 19.3, 30.8, 12.0, and 6.2 percent, respectively). The median daily concentration of wildfire-specific PM2.5 increased to 11.9 µg/m3 during peak wildfire months. A 10-µg/m3 increase in wildfire-specific PM2.5 was associated with a higher risk for emergency department visits for all-cause mental conditions, depression, other mood-affective disorders (cumulative relative risks over lag zero to seven days, 1.08, 1.15, and 1.29, respectively), and anxiety (cumulative relative risk over lag zero to four days, 1.06). Wildfire smoke was associated with disproportionately increased emergency department visits among female individuals and young people. There was effect modification by race, with an increased risk of emergency department visits for other mood-affective disorders for non-Hispanic Black individuals and an increased risk for visits for depression for Hispanic individuals.
"These results highlight the importance of health care professionals and systems anticipating a possible increase in demand for mental health services in emergency departments during wildfire events," the authors write.
Several authors disclosed ties to the biopharmaceutical industry; one author reported holding related patents.
Disclaimer: Statistical data in medical articles provide general trends and do not pertain to individuals. Individual factors can vary greatly. Always seek personalized medical advice for individual healthcare decisions.
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