Idaho and the Northwest are in the midst of an extreme wildfire season that is expected to remain active through the end of September. While the physical effects of exposure to smoke are well known, prolonged wildfire seasons can also take a toll on people’s emotional well-being.
Beth Markley, Director of the National Alliance on Mental Health in Idaho, said the heavy skies, poor air quality and the obscured sun can very much weigh on people’s minds.
“It certainly can feel heavy, similar to the ways that we are affected by seasonal affective disorder,” she said. Wildfire smoke can trigger existential dread, anxiety and depression and exacerbate mental health illnesses, such as panic or psychosis disorders.
Exposure also disproportionately affects vulnerable populations, like unhoused folks, farmworkers and construction workers.
“This includes not only people who already experience mental illness, but those who have a hard time getting out of the smoke,” Markley said.
A 2025 study by Harvard University showed exposure to wildfire smoke significantly increased emergency department visits for mental health issues.
“Women, children and young adults, Black and Hispanic individuals, and Medicaid enrollees showed the highest risk,” the study reads.
“We need to make sure everyone has access to mental health care during wildfire seasons, particularly the most vulnerable groups and particularly as wildfires become more frequent and severe as a result of climate change,” added researcher YounSoo Jung in a quote.
One in four Idahoans will experience a mental health condition in their lifetime. To combat feelings of hopelessness and fear, Markley said it’s important to ward off isolation, especially in a state that values individualism like Idaho.
“We prize that cowboy ethic of ‘pull yourself up by your bootstraps,’ ‘shake it off and rub dirt in it,’ right?” she said, “but also we need to share with each other and with ourselves that if we're experiencing something other than that, it's okay and it's not abnormal.”
A 2025 report by Mental Health America ranked Idaho 48th in the nation in prevalence of mental illness and lack of access to resources.
“We can't all go out there and be on the front lines fighting fires, but we can check in on our neighbors and we can make sure that they're safe and cared for,” Marley said.
Watching communities burn is also very traumatic, especially for people directly affected by loss.
“Those communities are going to, long after the headlines are over, continue to feel those effects,” Markley said. “If you know somebody who's in that position, be patient with them and be aware that their needs are going to continue to go on long after the fires are out and the air is clear.”
If you or anyone you know is struggling, help is available. Call or text the Idaho Crisis and Suicide lifeline at 988 or go to nami.org for more resources. You are not alone.
