Assembly hears ‘fire brain’ and mental-health surge after wildfires; committee urged to fund community resilience training

Wildfires are producing marked increases in acute mental-health distress and, for a significant minority, long-term psychiatric and cognitive symptoms, UC psychiatrists told the Assembly Health Committee.

Dr. Elisa Appel, professor and vice chair of psychiatry at the University of California, San Francisco and a representative of the UC-wide Center for Climate Health and Equity, told the committee that climate disasters amplify mental-health burdens and that "fire brain"—lasting problems with concentration, attention and decision-making after wildfire exposure—is measurable months after an event. She said callers to suicide and crisis lines in Los Angeles quintupled in the weeks after the recent wildfires.

Why this matters: Committee members heard that the mental-health burden persists beyond the immediate crisis for roughly 20 percent of people, and possibly more for wildfire-affected populations. Speakers argued that community-based prevention and low-cost training can reduce long-term disorders.

What witnesses recommended - Psychological first aid and community helpers: Appel described a manualized, scalable intervention—psychological first aid—that can be taught to nonclinicians and deployed in the days and weeks after disaster. She reported UC outreach efforts (600 UC members signed up for training with Vibrant, a nonprofit) and recommended statewide dissemination. - Prevention through skills training: Appel said UC faculty developed a resilience course for students to teach emotion regulation and action engagement; evaluation showed reduced anxiety and increased hope five months after the course. - Vulnerable groups: Appel told the committee that youth and young adults are especially at risk. She recommended trauma-informed community networks, culturally competent services and expanded behavioral-health access for children and caregivers.

Committee discussion and community perspective Assemblymembers and community witnesses emphasized secondary trauma among responders and volunteers and the importance of culturally tailored services. Dr. Adrienne Martinez Hollingsworth (AltaMed/Institute for Health Equity) and community presenters described high demand for bilingual mental-health care at evacuation centers; Martinez Hollingsworth highlighted AB1032 (behavioral-health coverage for wildfire victims) that was supported by testimony.

Ending: Mental-health experts urged lawmakers to fund community training (psychological first aid), expand culturally competent services and support school- and campus-based resilience programs to reduce the long-term psychiatric toll of recurring climate disasters.