Nearly a quarter of Fort McMurray residents forced to flee this spring’s wildfire are seeking out mental health services
Nearly a quarter of Fort McMurray residents forced to flee this spring’s wildfire are now seeking out mental health services, according to a Radio Canada International report.
All 90,000 Fort McMurray residents were forced to flee the city on May 3, RCI reported. Many of them had to brave the flames with nothing more than the clothes on their backs.
At least 20,000 Fort Mac residents have already sought out mental health care, and more are expected to do so, RCI reports.
Health care professionals told RCI that many residents will be able to deal with their anxiety by talking to their neighbours about their experiences. But many others are suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder and depression – and they may have a more difficult time.
“People who were evacuated felt very uprooted,” Dr. Sandra Corbett, the region’s head of mental health services, told RCI. “We now there are different states in the process, of the kind of different emotions that the people go through.”
Alberta is working out a three- to five-year plan to help meet residents’ mental health needs, RCI reported. The province is bringing in additional counseling staff – a boon, since Corbett told RCI that many healthcare workers are already exhausted.
All 90,000 Fort McMurray residents were forced to flee the city on May 3, RCI reported. Many of them had to brave the flames with nothing more than the clothes on their backs.
At least 20,000 Fort Mac residents have already sought out mental health care, and more are expected to do so, RCI reports.
Health care professionals told RCI that many residents will be able to deal with their anxiety by talking to their neighbours about their experiences. But many others are suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder and depression – and they may have a more difficult time.
“People who were evacuated felt very uprooted,” Dr. Sandra Corbett, the region’s head of mental health services, told RCI. “We now there are different states in the process, of the kind of different emotions that the people go through.”
Alberta is working out a three- to five-year plan to help meet residents’ mental health needs, RCI reported. The province is bringing in additional counseling staff – a boon, since Corbett told RCI that many healthcare workers are already exhausted.
