Since the Aug. 8, 2023, Maui wildfires, mental health for survivors has been a focal point for the road to recovery.
Dr. Leslie Gise has been involved in disaster psychiatry since 9/11. She shared some of the long-term mental health impacts related to the fires.
"Most of what we see acutely is distress and normal reactions, which can be bad," Gise said. "Those reactions, and they're the same symptoms as PTSD, which you can't diagnose in the first month because most of those after one month, they're better, or they're gone in a month."
According to Gise, community efficacy in the first months after a traumatic event is important for long-term rehabilitation.
"So people had a lot of losses, talking about psychological first aid of the five elements, the last one is hope and optimism," Gise said. "A lot of recovery, especially after the first three months, has to do with the community coming together."
Gise is also a staff physician at Maui Memorial Hospital and a clinical professor in the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Hawaiʻi John A Burns School of Medicine.
This interview aired on The Conversation on Aug. 7, 2024. The Conversation airs weekdays at 11 a.m. on HPR-1.
