30 | JANUARY 27 • 2022

J

anuary and February
are some of the
toughest months for
Michiganders.
In previous years, an
increase in mental health
concerns during this time
could be attributed in part
to seasonal depression. Now,
however, the ongoing COVID-
19 pandemic and surge of the
Omicron variant are making
this winter more challenging
than ever for people in Metro
Detroit.
“There’s a feeling of
hopelessness
right now,
” says
Dr. Melanie
Schwartz, a
Jewish clinical
psychologist
and owner
of Viewpoint
Psychology and Wellness,
which has locations in
Commerce Township and
West Bloomfield. “You already
have seasonal depression
going on. And then you add in
COVID, and then you add in
people’s everyday problems.
”

It’s a combination that’s led
to an uptick in people seeking
mental health care, Schwartz
explains.
“We are seeing a lot more
depression,
” she says. “We’ve
definitely seen a resurgence
of people’s anxiety related to
COVID.
”

A NEW FORM OF
ANXIETY
COVID-related anxiety never
disappeared, Schwartz says,
but it decreased last year when
positive case numbers dropped
significantly, and it felt like
things were slowly returning
to normal. Now, however,
people are experiencing a new
type of anxiety that is largely
due to a specific type of fatigue
that stems from dealing with
what feels like a never-ending
pandemic.
“People are having more
anxiety because this [variant]
seems way more out of
control and people were
doing everything they could
to prevent COVID,
” Schwartz
explains. “People are feeling

HEALTH

A Omicron surges, so do
Michiganders’ anxiety levels.

ASHLEY ZLATOPOLSKY CONTRIBUTING WRITER

Dr. Melanie
Schwartz

STORMSEEKER

Anxiety of

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