APA Offers Resources in Response to California Wildfires

As the Los Angeles wildfires continue to impact lives, homes, and communities, APA and the APA Foundation are collectively mobilizing their efforts and working with the Southern California Psychiatric Society (SCPS) to better understand the needs of local APA members, their families, and their patients, and to provide support.

APA’s Committee on Psychiatric Dimensions of Disaster has also been in communication with SCPS leaders, and compiled a list of free resources for any mental health clinicians who are helping during recovery efforts. This includes evidence-based tools such as a Rapid Psychological First Aid pocket card and information on helping to calm individuals experiencing an acute stress response. Additionally, the Center for the Study of Traumatic Stress developed a list of resources for anyone impacted by the fires or anyone seeking to help those who are in distress.

Further, APA staff continues to monitor the situation ahead of the 2025 Annual Meeting, scheduled for May 17-21 at the Los Angeles Convention Center, which has not been affected by the wildfires. Efforts are underway to develop additional programming specifically related to the wildfires and to partner with a local organization to connect interested members with volunteer opportunities.

“The tragic impact these fires have had on the people of Los Angeles is heartbreaking, and we at APA are committed to providing support, both immediately and as the recovery continues,” said APA CEO and Medical Director Marketa Wills, M.D., M.B.A. “We are hopeful that the Annual Meeting will provide an opportunity for the APA community to come together and show our unwavering support for Los Angeles, including providing economic stimulus as L.A. recovers and rebuilds from this event.”

APA will continue to provide updates as it works to respond to this disaster. Those seeking to help immediately can donate through the American Red Cross or World Central Kitchen. APA’s resources for psychiatrists on Disaster Mental Health also include research, educational and volunteer opportunities, fact sheets, and more.

(Image: Getty Images/iStock/Jorge Villalba)

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Wildfire Smoke Linked to Increased Risk of Dementia

Long-term exposure to particulate matter found in wildfire smoke may raise the risk of dementia, according to a study published today in JAMA Neurology. The findings also suggest that wildfire particulate matter increases the risk more than non-wildfire particulate matter.

Holly Elser, M.D., Ph.D., of the University of Pennsylvania, and colleagues examined data from more than 1.2 million members of Kaiser Permanente Southern California. Patients were at least 60 years old and did not have dementia when they were first included in the study.

The researchers estimated the average daily concentrations of total fine particulate matter in each Southern California census tract from 2006 to 2019 using measurements from the Environmental Protection Agency Air Quality System, and then used additional federal and state meteorological data to subtract the contribution of wildfire-generated fine particulate matter from the total. The researchers then calculated three-year rolling periods of particulate exposure (updated every three months) for each patient.

During follow-up, 6.6% of patients received a diagnosis of dementia, with most of the diagnoses being for nonspecific dementia. The researchers found an 18% increase in the odds of dementia for every 1-µg/m³ increase in three-year average wildfire fine particulate matter. For non-wildfire fine particulate matter, the odds of dementia diagnosis increased by just 1% for every 1-µg/m³ increase in three-year average exposure.

In a secondary analysis, the researchers found that the associations between exposure to wildfire fine particulate matter and dementia were stronger among patients younger than 75 when they were included in the study, patients from racially minoritized subgroups, and patients living in high-poverty census tracts compared with low-poverty census tracts.

“These latter findings underscore the importance of research that considers the effects of air pollution on potentially vulnerable population subgroups and aims to identify potential strategies to mitigate inequities in air pollution exposure effects,” Elser and colleagues wrote—though they cautioned that by relying on EHR data they could not fully account for all socioeconomic or behavioral factors that may raise or mitigate the potentially damaging effects of wildfire smoke.

For related information, see the Psychiatric News Alert “Air Pollution Exposure May Be Linked to Late-Onset Depression.”

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